Potato Exports Pt 2

From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. While exports for U.S. potatoes got a shot in the arm with recently expanded access into Mexico, Japan is another market we are hoping to build upon.

Potatoes USA Chief Marketing Officer, Kim Brashears says our dehydrated potatoes are already big there, but fresh potatoes would be a huge bonus …

BRASHEARS … “Japan is a huge export market for the U.S. in total, but potatoes, very much so. In fact, prior to Mexico being opened for fresh potato sales, they were our largest export market aside from Canada.”

Adding to that, Brashears says would be great …

BRASHEARS … “So, if we could get fresh potato, table stock access into Japan, we believe the opportunity is as large as it is in Mexico to export there.”

So, Brashears says that’s what we’re working on …

BRASHEARS … “Right now, we ship fresh chipped potatoes into the country, but table stock isn’t, access isn’t available to us yet. But there’s a whole team of folks working on that and, from a Potatoes USA perspective, we’re excited when that market does become open, we’re ready to introduce U.S. fresh potatoes to the Japanese consumer as well.”

Brashears believes fresh, table stock potatoes would be welcome in Japan and be a benefit to both U.S. and Japanese growers.