04/17/08 Governor's Mexican trade mission

They leave for Mexico on Saturday. Governor Butch Otter is leading an 18 company trade mission to Mexico. The Idaho delegation will spend ten days south of the border with a heavy emphasis on agricultural trade. OTTER "This trip to Mexico is no different than any one that I've led in the past when I was Lt Governor. We've got all the commodity commissions going, the wheat, potato, the bean. We've got the Farm Bureau going, lots of dairy folks." And companies that specialize in mining, fresh packaging and truck safety will be on the trade mission along with representatives of the University of Idaho's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. There's been a lot of talk about NAFTA recently and Otter says Mexico still has terms and conditions on trade that need to be corrected. OTTER "They're behind the power curve. They're behind the time line on that. So that's going to give me an opportunity as a government official to speak in those terms." Otter says Idaho producers have created relationships with Mexican farmers thanks to previous trade missions. He contends that Idaho quality and promises made by Idaho producers are the reasons that Mexican trade continues to grow. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott