Mexico Delays U.S. Potatoes Pt 2
I’m Bob Larson. Mexico’s Supreme Court has delayed a decision on whether or not to overturn a ban on U.S. fresh potato imports.
National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles says delaying this decades-long struggle even more means massive losses for U.S. potato growers …
QUARLES … “So, we did the math on this Bob, and the rough assumption is that the U.S. fresh potato market, if we get access to Mexico, is going to be about a $200-million a year market, which would be extremely substantial. It would be one of our absolute largest export markets.”
And, Quarles says when you break those numbers down …
QUARLES … “Every day that we are held out of Mexico, assuming a $200-million annual market, is over a half a million dollars in lost sales and all the U.S. jobs that those sales support, that’s every single day that this is delayed.”
But of course that, Quarles says means little to Mexican potato growers …
QUARLES … “Remember, the Mexico potato industry, they don’t need to win any of these lawsuits. What they need to do is delay them and keep kicking the can down the road to make sure that the rulings never come. And, that would be perfectly satisfactory for them to keep protecting their market.”
Quarles says a letter from the NPC and other groups to Ag Secretary Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Tai urges enforcement of the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement.
Tune in tomorrow for more.
