Japan still won’t accept fresh U.S. potatoes, but Idaho officials are putting the pressure on

Idaho officials continue to put pressure on the Japanese government after years of trying to get fresh Idaho potatoes into their market, as Mia Maldonado reports in a news story published on Idaho Capital Sun.

Last week, Idaho officials and officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture met with their Japanese counterparts in Idaho Falls for a Plant Health Bilateral Meeting. These meetings promote agricultural trade between the U.S. and foreign countries. 

The U.S. has exported frozen potatoes to Japan to make chips since 2006, but it has yet to export fresh potatoes, despite first requesting access to the Japanese market nearly 30 years ago.

Sam Eaton, the vice president of legal affairs at the Idaho Potato Commission, told the Idaho Capital Sun that Japan is protective of its own potato industry, which is why it is delaying the trade process. National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles, who attended the Idaho Falls meetings, said he will continue to support the industry’s ongoing efforts to open the market for U.S. fresh potatoes.

Source: Idaho Capital Sun. Full story here
Image: Potatoes grow in a field outside of Burley, Idaho, in this undated photo. Credit Getty Images via Idaho Capital Sun