BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) recently had a delegation return from a trade mission with Japan.
In a news release, the ISDA stated that Japan is one of Idaho's top and most reliable trading partners and is the fourth-largest market for U.S. food and agricultural exports.
The U.S. delegation for the five-day agricultural trade mission in Japan included a total of 11 state departments of agriculture and 40 agribusinesses. The meeting was organized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and led by USDA Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor.
The Idaho representatives met with Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries where they focused on promoting market access for U.S. fresh potatoes - citing that access to the Japan market for U.S. potatoes could result in an additional $150 million per year in exports, according to the National Potato Council.
"It is important that we continue to apply pressure on the Japanese government," IPC Vice President of Legal and Government Affairs Sam Eaton said.
The Idaho representatives in attendance were ISDA Director Chanel Tewalt, IPC Chairman Bryan Wada, IPC's Sam Eaton and ISDA trade specialist Chelsea Conlon.
"I am very encouraged by the discussions we had in Japan, and especially pleased to have been able to leverage the scale and depth of this mission to advocate for Idaho's producers," Tewalt said. "Japan has long been one of Idaho's strongest trading partners. Throughout our trip, we heard a common message: Japan is a mature market, but it is full of opportunity."
Wada said that the trip to Japan was a success and that trade relations and market access for U.S. table-stock potatoes with the country show improvement.
"With our high-quality product and international brand recognition, I believe Idaho potatoes are positioned to do particularly well in the Japanese market," Wada said.
The release said that the Idaho delegation's itinerary also included a meet with USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service officials to discuss the status of market access negotiations in those departments.
"We also have broad support from our partners at the National Potato Council and Potatoes USA as well as the entire Idaho Congressional Delegation," Eatton said. "We are fresh off our recent success in Mexico and the potato industry needs to carry that momentum into our efforts with Japan," said Eaton.
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