The National Potato Council (NPC) says it remains hopeful that the U.S. administration can advance negotiations to secure market access for fresh potatoes in Japan.
NPC CEO Kam Quarles said the issue has been under discussion for three decades. "Even though it has taken 30 years for us to get to this point, solving the Japan fresh potato access issue for U.S. growers is simple. It is no longer a technical one; it is simply: Can the president sit down and push past this Japanese protectionism?"
The United States and Japan have been negotiating the easing of phytosanitary and trade restrictions for years, with limited progress so far. President Donald Trump visited Japan this week for talks focused on agricultural trade and Japan's commitment to purchasing more U.S. products.
"Somebody's gonna win and somebody's gonna lose. We hope it's the United States winning in this equation here over the next couple of days," Quarles said.
Julie Callahan, nominated as chief agricultural negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, told the Senate Finance Committee that she is committed to pursuing the issue of fresh potato access in Japan.
According to Quarles, opening the Japanese market could generate up to US$200 million in annual demand for U.S. fresh potatoes.
Source: Brownfield News
