Potato growers in Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) are preparing for a sharply reduced harvest this season after prolonged dry weather across the province left crops under stress at a critical stage of development.

According to industry representatives, rainfall totals during the summer were well below seasonal norms in many parts of the Island, with some areas receiving only about half their usual precipitation. While conditions varied across the province, reports from both irrigated and non-irrigated farms point to production losses that could rival those seen during the drought of 2001, one of the worst years on record for the sector.

Even farms equipped with irrigation have not been immune, with later-maturing varieties struggling to bulk adequately due to insufficient soil moisture. Industry sampling, which tracks crop growth against a five-year average, now indicates yields are trending below expectations after holding steady earlier in the season.

The financial stakes are considerable. Potato production on P.E.I. is capital intensive, with input costs estimated at more than CAD 5,000 per acre. Seed-potato operations face even higher expenditures. If yields fall too far below normal, growers risk failing to recover their investment, with knock-on effects for the province’s processing and export supply chains.

Harvesting has already begun on some early fields, with the main storage crop scheduled to be lifted later this month through October. Dry soil conditions pose further complications: without adequate clay content, tubers are more vulnerable to bruising during harvest and subsequent storage, increasing the risk of losses beyond the field.

Only about one-tenth of the Island’s potato acreage is irrigated, a figure that underscores the vulnerability of growers to increasingly erratic weather. Farmers who invested in irrigation systems in previous years are seeing at least partial protection, though the high cost of equipment and well-drilling remains a barrier to wider adoption.

Climate variability has become a recurring theme for P.E.I.’s potato industry. Producers and industry bodies alike are emphasizing the need for new growing techniques and resilience measures to safeguard the Island’s leading cash crop against future episodes of extreme weather.