Imports of frozen fries into the United States exceeded exports by two million cwt in the October-to-June period, a report from the U. S. Dept. of Commerce shows.
The United States imported 356,109,000 kilograms of french fries while exporting 354,413,000 during the same period.
U. S. Potato industry officials believe this is the first time in history this has occurred.
According to Pat Boss, executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission, while export volumes are very close to last year's, import volumes are dramatically ahead of last year's pace.
Last year imports for the period where 288,597,000 while exports were 359,349,000.
In a six-year comparison, imports in 1995 totaled 149,722,000 while exports were 353,078,000.