May 23, 2019Dan Moss reps potato industry at White House agricultural event
On May 23, the U.S. potato industry was represented by Dan Moss at an agricultural trade event at the White House with President Trump. Moss is a potato grower based in Rupert, Idaho, and former president of the National Potato Council (NPC).
“It was an honor to be included in this event at the White House,” Moss said. “The success of the potato industry heavily relies on trade and foreign market access. We appreciate the Trump Administration’s long-term desire to enhance U.S. agriculture’s global competitiveness and to mitigate the short-term impact of these negotiations.”
Moss donned a blue Potatoes USA shirt and red “Make Potatoes Great Again” hat, which was caught on video by the Washington Post.
Last week, the U.S. potato industry was pleased to see the agreement lift the Section 232 tariffs. On May 20, Mexico responded by removing its 20% retaliatory tariff on fries The potato industry is pleased to be shipping again duty-free to our third largest fry export market.
With this issue resolved, the U.S. potato industry strongly urges Congress to pass the US-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement immediately.
With $95 million in U.S. potato imports, China is the sixth largest export market for U.S. potato products. As negotiations between the U.S. and China continue, NPC is hopeful in expanding the market substantially once an agreement is reached between the two countries.
“Should the U.S. potato industry gain workable access for both fresh and chip potatoes, China would vault into one of our largest export markets,” said Kam Quarles, NPC CEO.
As negotiations between the United States and China continue, the US potato industry appreciates this additional support offered to agriculture. The mitigation package includes direct payments, export promotion and surplus commodity purchases. The trade promotion support is expected to be used by the U.S. potato industry to expand our exports to emerging markets.
