Nov 4, 2025Mexican potato growers strike to protest US competition
This past week, Mexican potato growers engaged in a national strike against competition from the U.S., demanding that their government block imports.
Growers called for an immediate end to the legal importation of fresh potatoes from the U.S. as part of a larger agricultural issue, according to the National Potato Council (NPC).
“I think it was a strike that was centered around other commodities, but clearly, our competitors in Mexico used it as an opportunity to remind everyone that they don’t want us there,” NPC CEO Kam Quarles told Spudman. “They don’t want us there for any legitimate reason other than competition. Their market is open, but they don’t want it to be that way.”
In an earlier statement, Quarles said the action was “clearly timed to impact the review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement that was negotiated by President Trump in his first administration. It is not surprising that these growers want to return to the monopoly they originally held on Mexico’s domestic market, allowing them to tightly control the supply of potatoes and causing prices to skyrocket on Mexican consumers.”
The U.S. fought a multi-decade battle to open Mexico to fresh potato exports, which included winning a unanimous decision at the Mexican Supreme Court. During the three years that the market has been open, fresh exports have increased to $130 million annually, making Mexico the U.S.’s top foreign trading partner.
“Our recent history of exporting high-quality U.S. potatoes to Mexico has established a very strong track record, benefiting U.S. growers and Mexican consumers alike,” Quarles said in the statement.
He reiterated the importance — and continuing volatility — of the Mexican market to Spudman.
“For everyone in the United States who felt that we’re past the big hurdle of Mexico closing their doors to U.S. fresh potatoes, it’s a good reminder that we’re not,” Quarles said. “We still have substantial opposition down there that’s very politically connected, and we need to keep an eye on it, or else all of these gains that we’ve made could be lost. “
