The export of sweet potatoes from the United States has accelerated in the last two years. This shows in the recent statistics by the American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute (ASPMI). The export value of sweet potatoes was 139 million dollars last year, a rise of 110% compared to 2010.
Yet export is only a limited part of the total sales of sweet potatoes in the country. 90% of American sweet potato is consumed domestically. The state North Carolina is worth 71% of the cultivation for export, followed by Mississippi (7%), California (6%), Louisiana (2%), Virginia (2%) and Arkansas (1%).
In 2015 North America exported a record volume of 181,000 tonnes of sweet potatoes, 33% more than a year ago and double the amount of five years ago. In terms of export the United Kingdom takes the largest volume (82,000 tonnes / 45%), followed by Canada (55.109 tonnes / 30%) and the other European countries (42,500 tonnes / 23%).
The American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute (ASPMI) has set a goal for the coming years to extend the export of sweet potatoes in Europe and Canada and scout for new potential markets such as Latin America and Japan for the export.