Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) and Dan Kildee (D-MI) and U.S. Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) led 31 of their colleagues to urge the Biden Administration to support American potato growers gain access to additional global markets.
U.S. potato exports reached a record $2.1 billion in sales in 2022, with Japan being a top export market for U.S. frozen potatoes. However, fresh “table-stock” potatoes, a category that includes common types of potato like Russets and Reds, are blocked for export by Japanese law despite decades of negotiations. The U.S. potato industry estimates that access to the Japanese market will result in an additional $150 million per year in exports.
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, the Members write: “Table stock access to Japan was first requested almost 30 years ago. It was elevated to a top priority in U.S.-Japan plant health negotiations in September 2019. However, despite the efforts of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Japan continues to delay substantive negotiations on table stock access, including with respect to our most recent request for Japan to provide a Pest Risk Assessment (PRA).”
“The U.S. potato industry thanks Senators Cantwell and Risch, Congressmen Newhouse and Kildee, along with all the signatories to this important letter. Access to Japan for U.S. fresh potatoes would result in a 10% increase in global exports for our industry, roughly $150 million annually. This negotiation is highly-charged politically in Japan and the strong support from these members of Congress is essential in countering that pressure and seeing our goal for American growers achieved.” – Kam Quarles, CEO, National Potato Council
You can read the full letter here.
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