This week, Matt Lantz, BCI’s Senior Vice President for Market Access, and Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council, traveled to Tokyo to work on fresh potato market access to Japan. They meet with officials in the US Embassy to strategized on how to open the Japanese market for US potatoes.
Although Japan imports over $300 million worth of U.S. fries, fresh table stock potatoes are prohibited. This market access request is 30 years old and is becoming an important bilateral issue between the two countries. Efforts to open the market are expected to increase in 2025. Once opened, U.S. potato farmers could expect a new $150 million market.
BCI works on market access issues around the world for U.S. growers.