Sep 23, 2024Japanese market a focus of Idaho Falls meetings
The annual bilateral meetings between representatives from USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and their Japanese counterparts received a shot in the arm for spuds from Idaho’s governor.
Gov. Brad Little joined a delegation that included National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles and NPC trade consultant Matt Lantz in Idaho Falls this past week to help center focus on a decades-long goal for the U.S. potato industry: full Japanese market access for U.S. fresh potatoes.
The delegation toured Wada Farms, an Idaho-based potato-growing operation led by Bryan Wada, a 2024 Spudman Impact Award honoree.
“We owe a great deal of thanks to Bryan Wada at Wada Farms, the Idaho Potato Commission, Governor Little’s office, and ISDA Director of Agriculture Chanel Tewalt and her staff at the Idaho State Department of Agriculture for all of their work in hosting this important negotiation,” Quarles said in a statement.
NPC has advocated for full Japanese market access for years.
During the final day of the meetings, Little announced he is leading an November trade mission to Japan, where he’ll continue to press for fresh market access.
