USDA, MEXICO HARVEST POTATO AGREEMENT

USDA, MEXICO HARVEST POTATO AGREEMENT    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has established an agreement with Mexico’s Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food on March 27 to reopen U.S. potato exports to Mexico.
   The agreement addresses several measures, including the application of sprout inhibitor, sealing of trucks at origin, and traceability of potato shipments, to cover Mexico’s phytosanitary concerns with nematodes and viruses. The Mexican potato market is valued at $30 million annually to the United States.
   During the first year of the agreement, market access for U.S. potatoes from all 50 states is limited to the 26-kilometer border zone. The program will be expanded in the second year to include Mexico’s northern states.
   “This agreement provides an important export market for U.S. potato farmers,” said Bill Hawks, undersecretary for USDA’s marketing and regulatory programs.
   Both countries will consult before the third year and make a risk-based decision regarding expansion of the program to the rest of Mexico.