U.S. potato stocks were 18 per cent lower on April 1 than last year at the same time.

About 106 million cwt. of potatoes had yet to be shipped on April 1, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service's April 15 potato stocks report.

The potatoes still in storage on April 1 represented 30 per cent of the total 2010 fall crop, down 4 per cent from the year before, according to the report. Potato disappearance, at 246 million cwt., also was down 4 per cent.

In industry leader Idaho, about 43 million cwt. was still on hand on April 1, down from 53 million cwt. last year.

As a percentage, the biggest drop among major producers was seen in Washington, where stocks fell from 27 million cwt. in 2010 to 18 million cwt. this year.