08/25/08 Yellow bean seed exports, part two

For the past seven years the Idaho Bean Commission has been promoting bean seed to growers in Mexico. Tomorrow some Mexican dry bean industry officials will be in Idaho to see plots of Peruano yellow dry beans, a popular favorite in areas around Sinaloa. University of Idaho Foundation Seed Manager Kathy Stewart Williams said they planted seed from Mexico in Idaho last year. STEWART WILLIAMS "While the seed was free from absolutely all bacterial diseases or any of those concerns it was definitely susceptible to bean common mosaic virus." This year some US plant breeders supplied her with seed that has some mosaic resistance in it. Stewart Williams says years of work in Mexico are starting to payoff with the Peruano project. STEWART WILLIAMS "And the interest on both sides, both in Idaho and Sinaloa is so positive that I think that we're going to get there." Getting there could mean another export market for Idaho dry bean seed growers and dealers. Idaho bean seed exports in 2006 increased 125 percent in value over 2005 while the 2007 stats show a further increase of nearly one quarter to 1.78 million dollars worth of sales. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott