North America Edition
More than 65% of U.S. sweet potatoes are harvested in North Carolina, but supply chain and shipping issues are adding to an already busy holiday season for sweet potato farmers. "When COVID comes along and impacts so many businesses that we rely on but have no control over, it makes things scary," said Dewey Scott, vice president of sweet potato operations at Scott Farms, which is headquartered in Lucama, North Carolina.
Still, the NC Sweet Potato Commission has stated: "Consumers should expect the pricing for the fresh sweet potatoes that they purchase at the stores for this Thanksgiving meal, to almost be identical to last year’s prices that they paid.”
The Department of Agriculture says the cost of sweet potatoes is rising this year by 6 cents per pound. The extra cents may add up with other popular Thanksgiving items, which is why experts anticipate this could be one of the more expensive Thanksgiving meals on record. The Sweet Potato Commission does not expect any sweet potato shortages at grocery stores nationwide because farms have been working round the clock.
Source: foxbusiness.com
