CHARLOTTETOWN—The federal government will spend $28 million to help Prince Edward Island farmers deal with a growing surplus of potatoes as an almost month-long export ban to the United States continues. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau told a news conference on Monday the funding will be used to create more potato processing capacity in Canada and to ship some surplus to food aid organizations. The money will also go toward helping farmers seek out new markets and allowing them to safely destroy their excess potatoes this winter. “The fact is the U.S. will not accept shipments of fresh potatoes until they have the scientific reassurances they need,” Bibeau told reporters. She said that to assuage American concerns, an industry-government potato working group is developing a strengthened plant-health management plan. Canada suspended all shipments of fresh potatoes from P.E.I. to the United States on Nov. 22 after the fungal potato wart was …