Potato Growers Looking Forward To Additional Opportunities In Mexico

Potato growers are excited after the signing of a plan allowing American producers to export fresh potatoes to all of Mexico. This comes months after the Mexican Supreme Court ruled in favor of American growers, saying fresh spuds could not be limited to just 16 miles from the U.S/Mexico border. National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles said while final details still need to be worked out, he says the transition should be a smooth one.

“It is very, very similar to what exporters were facing previously. There really has not been, there’s been a few kind of minor tweaks, but I think people are going to be very familiar with the process.”

So, when will fresh potatoes move into the heart of Mexico?

“Long story short, I mean we’re very hopeful that we’re going to be measuring this in a very few months to hopefully weeks before we can start looking at the resumption of some exports, so I think cautiously optimistic at this point,” Quarles noted.

He added NPC appreciates all the work by the USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative’s office to expand the market.

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