Colorado hoping NAFTA can open more of Mexico to spuds

Jim Ehrlich, executive director of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee says in a report on marketing potatoes in Mexico, “The goal of the project was simply to increase Colorado potato exports to Mexico by providing support to Colorado potato shippers and growers. To achieve the goal we had three key objectives: Hiring a local Mexican consultant…; Working with this consultant to gather information on Mexican potato consumption … and consumers; Taking and sharing the information that was gathered to develop relationships with Mexican potato importers and retailers…” Mexico is a major market for Colorado’s fresh potatoes, and loads are allowed into a 26-kilometer border zone approved for imports. Reassurance has reportedly come from the office of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue concerning NAFTA and the inclusion of potato exports in trade discussions. More