McCain Company Executive Predicts the Future of the Potato Industry

The global vice-president for agronomy for McCain Foods, Ghislain Pelletier, predicts the future of the industry will bear little resemblance to the past. He made the forecast at the recent annual meeting of the PEI Potato Board.

Pelletier told the meeting he has spent virtually his entire life in the industry as he grew up on a farm near Grand Falls, New Brunswick.

He noted potatoes are a highly productive crop that can be grown in a number of climates. They are also one of the most healthy, offering more nutrition value than crops like rice when compared on a per-acre basis.

"The demand for potatoes will grow in developing countries," he predicted, according to peicanada.com. "The size of the global potato consumption pie will grow but the producer's share will change."

The McCain executive also sees China and India becoming bigger players in the industry, predicting both countries will significantly increase their productivity and quality in the next decade. He noted both countries are improving their production practices with better seed and equipment.

"New technology will continue to accelerate with trends like novel breeding," he said. "How big a role that will play will depend on how well it is accepted by both producers and consumers." Pelletier predicted "technology in the next 10 to 15 years will change significantly."

The guest speaker said society's expectations on agriculture will increase as people want to know more about how food is produced. He told the Island industry "we have to be more proactive in communicating our successes and there needs to be more collaboration within the food industry."

He urged the industry to look for ways to increase productivity both economically and sustainably, adding: "If we want to keep our slice of the pie we need to welcome the use of more green technology and be prepared to move ahead quickly."