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.
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