Asian Markets to get a Taste of the Pacific Northwest

Asian Markets to get a Taste of the Pacific Northwest. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

Oregon and Washington agriculture officials are combining forces on an upcoming three-country trade mission to Asia. Pacific Northwest potatoes will be the main course for the 10-day mission to Taiwan, the Philippines, and Hong Kong. Potatoes continue to see a decline on American’s plates. The delegation includes Oregon Department of Agriculture Director Katy Coba and Dan Newhouse from the Washington Department of Ag.

COBA: This is a pretty exciting mission for us and it's a first in the fact that the state of Oregon and state of Washington are traveling together leading a delegation composed primarily of potato growers in both Oregon and Washington.

Coba says working together; the two states will have a much greater presence in Asia during this trip than by each going it alone. Also part of the delegation are the Oregon and Washington potato commissions including an executive chef from Timberline Lodge who will be conducting cooking demonstrations for restaurant and retail representatives.

COBA: It gives another way to show what you actually do with fresh potatoes and how you can prepare them that would fit into these cultures' eating habits, but with a new product.

The trade development mission is paid for by USDA Specialty Crop Grant funds and keys on high priority export markets for both Oregon and Washington. Coba says there is a great market impact to have two Pacific Northwest states working together as one on this trip.

COBA: We believe having really Oregon and Washington together gives you that much more of a presence. We can talk about Pacific Northwest agriculture. So much of our agriculture in the two states is very, very similar. We're just basically separated by a river.

COBA says ODA's marketing philosophy includes selling products locally, domestically, and internationally. With the economy the way it is, there is more significance to these overseas trade missions.

COBA: When we see the domestic or local market in a downturn like it is now for many Oregon commodities, if we can take advantage of that third leg of the stool- the export market- and provide market opportunities for producers to keep them healthy to get through this economic cycle, that's a very good thing. 

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.