11/04/05 China getting PNW spud chipping seminar

Farm and Ranch November 4, 2005 Matt Harris, director of international trade for the Washington State Potato Commission just got back from a governor's trade mission to Asia in late September, but he's heading back to China November 13th through the 18th for a Pacific Northwest potato chipping seminar. Harris says the seminar will be similar to those held earlier this year by the Potato Commissions of Washington, Oregon and Idaho in South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. Harris: "We will visit with our ATO office and get a good update on chipping potatoes and where they stand within the country. We also will be visiting some snack food manufacturers and be discussing with them our northwest varieties." Harris says what the PNW has is quality potatoes. Harris: "One of the assets to our industry is that we can store potatoes, to a certain degree, and we can meet the needs of those companies when they are not using domestic products. Those are valuable keys that make our region a marketable region for chipping potatoes against potatoes that would come out of Australia for example." And while China currently won't allow fresh Washington potatoes in, if processors like what they hear at the seminar, they may pressure officials to open up the market. That's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today. Good health tomorrow. I'm Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.