McCain Foods and Cavendish Farms, the two top processors on Prince Edward Island, Can., have but back on both volumes and numbers of growers.
Cavendish Farms growers agreed to accept the 2001-2002 contracts which offer no price increase this year and 2 percent next season.
McCain was tougher. Island growers will have to grow exclusively for the PEI plant because the New Brunswick plant will no longer accept PEI potatoes because of the potato wart fungus recently found there.
In addition, Maine will no longer accept the potato waste. Consequently, the PEI plant will be cutting volumes and about 20 growers. Their contract is still being negotiated.
Cavendish Farms has about 130 contract growers and McCain 80.