Prince Edward Island potatoes help fill need at food banks amid potato wart issue

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TORONTO — Shoppers at a meals financial institution in north Toronto have lately been going dwelling with baskets of potatoes from Prince Edward Island as truckloads of the vegetable caught up in an export ban have been making their approach throughout the nation.

The spuds are being despatched to meals reduction organizations in an effort to make use of the crop, which has been prevented from travelling to its greatest export market because of the discovery of potato wart, a parasite that poses no danger to human well being however disfigures the greens.

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The federal authorities banned the export of Island potatoes to the US in November and is now protecting the price of shopping for and transporting the potatoes to meals banks.

On the Rhema Christian Ministries meals financial institution, employees say the shipments are coming at time.

“Undoubtedly the potatoes had been a welcome commodity. And folks had been asking for them,” meals financial institution co-ordinator Grace Williams mentioned in an interview.

The meals financial institution has seen a pointy enhance within the variety of residents it serves since March 2020, when the pandemic hit, she mentioned.

The potatoes assist fill a necessity for produce, Williams mentioned, including that she was glad the initiative was supporting Canadian farms as properly.

“It’s fantastic that we’re in a position to make the most of native produce proper in our group, inside our nation,” she mentioned.

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The P.E.I. Potato Board mentioned the potato wart situation and the following export ban noticed 225 million kilos of potatoes destroyed in that province within the final two months. Potato wart, which spreads by means of the motion of contaminated potatoes, soil and farm tools, leaves the potatoes disfigured and might tremendously lower crop yields.

Out of the crop that could possibly be salvaged, 5 million kilos has to date been loaded onto tractor-trailers, travelling to organizations feeding and distributing meals to communities throughout Canada, mentioned Kendra Mills, advertising director on the board.

Enjoying a task in filling the necessity for produce at meals reduction organizations has been the “shiny gentle” throughout a tricky time, she mentioned.

“That is the very best a part of the completely horrendous scenario,” mentioned Mills. “Feeding hungry individuals is essential and that’s what farmers do on the very, very core … So on the finish of the day, that’s a constructive factor.”

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Second Harvest, a charity primarily based in Toronto, and Meals Banks Canada are distributing the potatoes by means of their nationwide networks.

Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest, mentioned her group has acquired a gentle provide of truckloads because the begin of January and has to date shipped greater than 60 of the 200 masses anticipated from P.E.I.

Though the potatoes have a restricted shelf life and the crop should be circulated by the top of June, Nikkel mentioned they’re being well-received.

“It’s very nice to have a gentle provide of a product that’s actually hearty and versatile,” she mentioned. “You are able to do a number of issues with a potato, which is actually essential.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed March 14, 2022.

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This story was produced with the monetary help of the Social Sciences and Humanities Analysis Council, which is funding a venture by Carleton College’s Faculty of Journalism and The Canadian Press.