Posted April 10, 2014
Mexico recently released a rule, lifting the
restrictions on imports of U.S. fresh potatoes, according to an AgWeek article
available here.
Currently Mexico restricts the import of fresh potatoes
from the U.S. to 26 kilometers (about 16 miles) from the U.S.-Mexican
border. The new rule would allow imports
into the rest of the country. While
about $30 million in U.S. fresh potatoes are sold to Mexico annually, the new
rule could increase sales to $100 million, says John Toaspern, vice president of
international marketing for the Denver-based U.S. Potato Board.
Details on phytosanitary and other protocols will be
agreed upon between the governments, according to an article by Produce News available
here.
The National Potato Council and the U.S. Potato Board
made a joint statement on the news: “The U.S. potato industry and our partners
at USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative are pleased to learn
that the Mexican government has issued its final rule designed to achieve the
bilateral goal of expanding trade in fresh potatoes between our two countries.”
“USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has
indicated it will publish [it’s] final rule in the Federal Register next week.”
For more information on agricultural international trade,
please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
