Promoting U.S. Potatoes in Mexico

Promoting U.S. Potatoes in Mexico. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

Mexico has been a sticky market for U.S. potatoes and John Toastern, VP for International Marketing with the United States Potato Board discusses that market.

TOASTERN: From the market aspect perspective, obviously none of this will happen until we are able to overcome the barriers to the U.S. potatoes entering Mexico which are currently in place. Just as a little background in 2003 we were able to get an agreement that helped us to enter Mexico on an area freedom basis. That’s how you ship now to 26 kilometers. It’s based on shipment freedom as opposed to area freedom which we had before.

He says that under the area freedom they were not able to ship from all states.

TOASTERN: With the shipment freedom we are able to ship from all of your operations. That access was supposed to be a phased in approach. First the 26 kilometer zone, then the northern states, then all of Mexico in 2-3 years. As you are all aware we are still stuck in the 26 kilometer zone. We’ve been working ever since then diligently to try to force them to fully implement the agreement that they signed with us.

Toastern says an independent panel has shown that U.S. potatoes do not prove to be a threat to Mexican agriculture. And even though there were some pest issues mitigation measures were included. More tomorrow.

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.