USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service has awarded $179,000 in Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops funding to the National Potato Council to support its ongoing market access efforts in Japan over the next three years, NPC announced today. The council will match the grant with an additional $50,000 in direct or in-kind contributions.
"We thank the President and Secretary Rollins for this funding, a clear sign of their commitment to opening Japan to $150 million in new U.S. potato exports," said NPC Vice President of Trade Affairs Brett Jensen, a potato grower from Idaho. "By pairing USDA resources with our own industry expertise, we can maintain the high-level diplomatic and technical engagement required to finally achieve this long-sought market access for fresh 'table stock' potatoes."
© National Potato Council
TASC funding specifically supports projects designed to overcome sanitary, phytosanitary, and technical barriers that hinder U.S. specialty crop exports. For the potato industry, this grant enables NPC to employ a specialized market access expert who helped navigate the 2006 opening of Japan's chipping potato market. The funds also facilitate direct collaboration with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to address Japanese technical inquiries regarding pests and sprout inhibition. Among other efforts, the grant supports annual bilateral plant health meetings and provides for potential site visits by Japanese officials to U.S. farms to verify commercial growing practices and finalize market access.
The grant was one of 33 grants announced by USDA earlier this month through three programs: the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) program, the Emerging Markets Program (EMP), and the Quality Samples Program (QSP). All three programs are designed to support U.S. growers, ranchers, and producers by reducing technical trade barriers, opening new markets, and meeting a growing international demand for high-quality U.S. agricultural products.
© National Potato CouncilFor more information:
National Potato Council
Tel: +1 202 682 9456
Email: [email protected]
www.nationalpotatocouncil.org
