OLYMPIA, Wash. (RFD News) — USDA is working to secure more lucrative trade deals for American growers, but Chris Voigt with the Washington State Potato Commission says access to the Japanese market remains out of reach.
“We were hoping it would go a little bit faster, but we’re still kind of hopeful. The big one for us would have been fresh potato access in Japan. The administration, both the USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, said fresh potato access was our number one priority for agriculture trade in the negotiations in Japan. We just couldn’t get it across the finish line. The administration announced a trade agreement with Japan, but unfortunately it didn’t include fresh potato access. We were kind of disheartened by that.”
Voigt says opportunities remain in other countries and markets despite the lack of fresh potato access in Japan.
