US-based Cranney Farms is giving away up to two million potatoes to ensure they don’t go to waste. The move comes as a result of the collapse in demand for food service and processing demand in the US as a result of the coronavirus.

Speaking to CNN, CEO of Cranney Farms in Idaho Ryan Cranney said the majority of his potatoes from the farm are typically sold to grocery stores and to restaurants to make French fries.

However, because of the stay-at-home order throughout the nation, Cranney said that food service demand is down significantly, leaving him with six months’ worth of crop.

Markets have fallen apart

"With people staying at home, these restaurants have shut down and so our markets have just kind of fallen apart," Ryan said.

"The factories that we sell to for French fries, they've lost their sales and had to shut their factories down, with freezers full of French fries, and so the outlets for our potatoes, we're having a difficult time getting them to market," he continued.

Ryan initially posted about the crop on Facebook, urging members of his community to avail of the free potatoes. However, traffic has been increasing steadily and he now has people driving up to 19 hours to get to the farm.

Collapse in demand

Many food producers around the world are experiencing a sudden and dramatic drop in demand for produce. Rueters reports that farmers in California are destroying vegetables due to lack of demand. Watch the report below.