FREDERICTON, New Brunswick (AP) – At a time when the world is busy counting carbs, New Brunswick farmers are hitting the market with a new spud they hope will put the lowly potato back on the front burner.
Federal and provincial agriculture officials and representatives of the Co-op chain of grocery stores in Atlantic Canada unveiled a new yellow-flesh potato variety on Thursday called the Rochdale Gold.
So far, the thin-skinned, shallow-eyed spud is available only in New Brunswick where it has been in development for 18 years, but the people behind the new variety have visions of world sales.
“We believe there will be a demand,” said John Harvie, head of Co-op Atlantic, which has exclusive rights to the new brand of potato. “We believe it could be marketed and produced throughout the world.”
New Brunswick potato farmers, like others in North America, are feeling the pinch of slumping markets as a growing number of diets promote avoiding carbohydrate-rich foods.
But officials say they believe there will be interest in the new product because there is a growing market for yellow-flesh spuds.
Yellow potatoes are the most popular type of potato sold in Europe. As well, the Rochdale’s thin skin makes it easy to cook because it doesn’t have to be peeled.
Harvie said the Co-op, which has grocery stores throughout Atlantic Canada, is the only retail system in the world to own exclusive rights to a unique potato.
The organization named the spud after the first co-operative movement in Rochdale, England.
The potato was developed by federal scientists at the Potato Research Centre in Fredericton.
It is on sale, in limited amounts, in Co-op stores in New Brunswick. It’s expected more of the yellow table potatoes will be offered for sale throughout the region next year.
“I don’t believe there are too many potatoes,” said New Brunswick Agriculture Minister David Alward. “This kind of product shows an understanding of where consumer trends are going.”
Poor markets caused 2003 to be the worst year ever for the province’s potato industry. Farmers’ losses last year were in the tens of millions of dollars.
Potatoes are the province’s largest agricultural commodity with an overall economic benefit of $1.3 billion.
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