Japanese Inspector Visits U.S. Chipping Facilities

Japanese Inspector Visits U.S. Chipping Facilities

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the U.S. Potato Update.

In June, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries sent an inspector to visit five different U.S. potato sheds that hope to export chipping potatoes to Japan in 2013.

The United States Potato Board worked with USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to arrange the Japanese inspector’s visit to potato sheds in Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

John Toaspern USPB Vice President of International Marketing explains more about the rigorous standards.

Toaspern: “The import protocol the United States and Japan have for shipping chipping potatoes to Japan is very stringent and very detailed. There are many different requirements throughout the process: in terms of where the seed can come from; the types of in-field inspection that must occur during the growing season for different pests. Then how the potatoes are handled after harvest; how they’re then shipped and how inspected by USDA. A very specific labeling that goes with them, etc. So that whole process needs to be followed very closely and what he found was in fact was that the growers and shippers were following it as they should.”

The inspector had favorable report which is good news. With that favorable report, it is hoped final approval will occur in time for potatoes to be shipped in January.

This was the U.S. Potato Update brought to you by the United States Potato Board, maximizing return on grower investment. I’m KayDee Gilkey on the Northwest Ag Information Network.