Japan still won’t accept fresh U.S. potatoes. Idaho officials are putting the pressure on

Mia Maldonado, Idaho Capital Sun

(Idaho Capital Sun) — Idaho officials proceed to put unit connected nan Japanese authorities aft years of trying to get caller Idaho potatoes into their market.

This week, Idaho officials and officials pinch nan U.S. Department of Agriculture met pinch their Japanese counterparts successful Idaho Falls for a Plant Health Bilateral Meeting. These meetings beforehand cultivation waste and acquisition betwixt nan U.S. and overseas countries.

The U.S. has exported stiff potatoes to Japan to make chips since 2006, but it has yet to export caller potatoes, contempt first requesting entree to nan Japanese marketplace astir 30 years ago.

U.S. officials are wished to bring caller potatoes to Japan, arsenic exports to nan state would lead to an estimated $150 cardinal to $200 cardinal annually erstwhile opened, according to a property merchandise from nan National Potato Commission. Idaho is nan largest shaper of potatoes successful nan country, harvesting astir 310,000 acres annually and accounting for much than $1.3 cardinal successful gross successful 2023, according to nan governor’s office.

Part of nan process to export cultivation equipment is completing a (seed) disease consequence assessment. Japan has agreed for respective years to behaviour nan appraisal connected Idaho potatoes, but they still person not.

Sam Eaton, nan vice president of ineligible affairs astatine nan Idaho Potato Commission, told nan Idaho Capital Sun that Japan is protective of its ain murphy industry, which is why it is delaying nan waste and acquisition process.

In a missive welcoming nan Japanese authorities to Idaho, Idaho Gov. Brad Little said he is proud to person Japan arsenic a trading partner, but he is hopeful that Japan will soon judge caller Idaho potatoes.

“As you know, Idaho and nan full U.S. murphy manufacture person been moving difficult to summation marketplace entree for array banal potatoes successful Japan,” Little said successful nan letter. “While we admit nan ongoing discussions betwixt our 2 nations, we are disappointed successful nan deficiency of meaningful progress, peculiarly pinch nan Pest Risk Assessment. I americium hopeful your travel to Idaho is simply a productive measurement toward nan timely completion of nan PRA.”

Federal officials person agelong pushed for acceptance of caller potatoes successful Japan

Over nan past year, location has been a batch of activity to effort to get Japan to judge caller potatoes, Eaton said.

In April, a group of 37 Republicans and Democrats successful Congress sent a missive to President Joe Biden up of nan Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s sojourn to nan U.S. In nan letter, nan congressmen requested he thief beforehand caller murphy entree to Japan.

“There is nary valid phytosanitary justification for these delays, arsenic nan U.S. murphy manufacture has a beardown history of exporting caller potatoes to galore markets, including South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, nan Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand,” nan congressmen wrote. “These exports hap safely and routinely passim nan year, providing benefits some for consumers successful nan Indo-Pacific and our growers present successful nan United States.”

National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles, who attended nan Idaho Falls meetings, said he will proceed to support nan industry’s ongoing efforts to unfastened nan marketplace for U.S. caller potatoes.

“Gaining afloat entree to nan Japanese marketplace for U.S. caller potatoes has been a attraction of nan murphy manufacture for astatine slightest 2 decades, yet Japan continues to stall and hold nan negotiations,” Quarles said. “The U.S. murphy manufacture urges our partners astatine USDA to require Japan to uphold their world obligations. Securing entree will thief to trim nan U.S. cultivation waste and acquisition deficit, benefitting American workers passim nan proviso concatenation and Japanese consumers alike.”

Idaho officials, including Little, will recreation to Japan and Taiwan successful November for a waste and acquisition mission.