There is a careful sense of optimism for Canadian potato growers following the news last week that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) reached an agreement with Mexico's Servicio Nacional de Sanidad, Inocuidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria (SENASICA) to allow shipments of Canadian potatoes for consumption or processing to Mexico.
"It's a good news story. It's one building block of many," said Ray Keenan, CEO of Rollo Bay Holdings in Prince Edward Island–a key potato growing province in Canada. Keenan was part of a contingent who travelled to Mexico last year with hopes of reaching such a deal.
That said, his optimism is cautious until further details are sorted out. "All we have right now is access to the market–that's what was granted. We're waiting on a briefing sometime later this week from CFIA so we know more. Because there's much more to this–logistics have to be sorted out, etc.," he says.
© Rollo Bay Holdings
Canadian potato exports
According to CFIA, in 2024, potatoes contributed approximately $2.1 billion in farm cash receipts and the value of potato and potato product exports grew by two percent year-over-year to exceed $3.7 billion in 2024/2025. "This is a Canadian initiative for all potato growers across the country," says Keenan. "The U.S. ships to Mexico as part of Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) and it's only reasonable to believe that Canada would ship there too."
That said, as for when shipments could actually start moving, this could be still a year or so away. "Even if we did start this fall, that's not to say there would be hundreds of loads right away going to that market. The market has not been tested with Canadian fresh potatoes there," says Keenan.
For more information:
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Tel: +1 (613) 773-6600
[email protected]
https://inspection.canada.ca/
