Why there is potato shortage? As the world witnesses a shortage of food items, potatoes are also added to the list. A decade ago, if someone had said that potatoes were out of stock, rarely would anyone have believed it. But now, even potatoes abundantly grown in many countries have gone out of supply. By 2023 the supply of potatoes is expected to get low. This is because the earth’s climatic conditions have been acting very weird for some time.
All those areas where potatoes were grown are experiencing severe frosting and cold. Potatoes are generally grown in areas that have high temperatures and humidity. But due to frosting and cold, most of the cultivation of potatoes is wasted. Potatoes are rampantly used in the fast food industry to meet nuggets, parties for burgers, French fries, and so many things that are beyond our imagination. Fast food chains can’t operate without the help of potatoes.
With the rise of veganism, many people now prefer vegetarian choices. This is why potato demand has also increased in the past few years. No longer chains like McDonald’s and Burger King operate on Meet. Now they also produce a lot of vegetarian burgers which are based on potatoes.
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Why are there no potatoes in the grocery store
Potatoes are no longer available in the supermarket because potato farmers have recently faced many problems in terms of climatic conditions. Climatic conditions have been quite unpredictable this year. Potatoes are vegetables that grow in hot and humid temperatures. All those areas where potatoes are grown rampantly have experienced frigid temperatures and even frosting.
This has disturbed the cultivation of potatoes and wasted all farmers’ hard work. Other than this, there has been an increase in the cost of fertilizers and manure. Operational costs have become prohibitive for farmers to bear. As a reason, many people who used to earlier practice farming as a profession have given up.
It requires a lot of capital investment that not everyone can fulfill. As a result, people have started experiencing the effect of the low cultivation of potatoes. Potatoes are not available in the market in the quantities they were previously. Some parts of the world have also experienced natural Calamities, such as floods that destroyed the cultivation.
Countries that do not have the required amount of potatoes are now choosing to import potatoes from different sources. But importing potatoes is also very expensive as the countries with an excessive supply of potatoes sell at very high costs. This way, people now have to pay almost double the money for potatoes.
Many small business owners whose business revolves around producing directly consumable products from potatoes are very worried. Now that potatoes are not readily available and have become expensive, they’re worried about their earnings.
Potato shortage in the USA
The United States of America, like the rest of the world, is also experiencing a shortage of potatoes. The production of potatoes in 2022 was 7% less than the production of potatoes in 2021. The graph for potato production has been declining for the last five years. This means that grocery stores, restaurants, fast food chains, and individuals have faced problems in getting potatoes.
The United States of America did not have an excellent year of cultivation. There were a lot of climatic and temperature fluctuations due to which most of their farm produce has been wasted. The country has now resorted to importing fruits and vegetables and using its emergency stock. Generally, every year there is a shortage of potatoes and sweet potatoes in the United States of America. The country always finds a solution and makes a comeback.
But this year, the problem is more intense because multiple factors affect this shortage. The price of a hundred pounds of potatoes is 6 US dollars. The prices are expected to double or even more than that in the coming months. This means that customers in the United States of America who consume potatoes daily must be prepared to pay this small amount for potatoes.
Potato shortage in the UK
The United Kingdom is also facing a problem of shortage of potatoes. Christmas is widely celebrated in the United Kingdom. This is also the season when all the restaurants and food chains get busy. They are in massive need of essential ingredients such as potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and cucumber. This is why they ensure that they have an excess supply of all these ingredients. But lately, farmers in the UK have been facing problems related to inflation and increased operational costs. Everything, including manure, seeds, and fertilizers, has become extremely expensive for them.
They have been seeking help from the government regarding the same, but nothing has been done. There has been a fall in the production of potatoes because the farmers who produce potatoes have now left farming as a profession. Farmers have not been making high profits for an extended period and have eventually lost the drive to the farm. This has immensely impacted the supply of fruits and vegetables in the market. With Christmas around The corner, people are worried if they will be able to celebrate their Christmas the way it is celebrated yearly.
Conclusion
Potatoes or running loan supply currently exist in many countries such as the USA, the UK, and Australia. Most of these countries are currently figuring out solutions to combat the problem of potato shortage. There have been different reasons for this potato shortage. For example, the USA and Australia are entirely based on unexpected climate tickle changes.
Whereas in the UK, there has been low production because of the farmers who have refused to produce And have left farming because of low subsidies from the government. All these things will directly impact the regular customers and the citizens of a country. They will have to face the price changes and pay extra money to get potatoes. The government must rescue and solve the problem in a condition like this.
