USA: Fresh potato market access in Japan remains stalled

Published Jan 12, 2024

Tridge summary

The CEO of the National Potato Council, Kam Quarles, reports that talks between the United States and Japan on fresh potato market access are currently stalled due to political opposition in Japan. The U.S. requested Japan to complete processes and deliver a pest risk assessment by the end of 2023, but this did not occur and no timeline has been provided for when it might be delivered. The Chief Agriculture Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Doug McKalip, expressed commitment to using every tool at their disposal to get the stalled process moving again.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The CEO of the National Potato Council says talks between the United States and Japan on fresh potato market access remain stalled. Kam Quarles tells Brownfield “it’s very clear this is a highly political process, not only a technical one. It’s not something the Japanese want to advance.” Quarles says the U.S. asked Japan to complete processes and deliver a pest risk assessment by the end of 2023, but that didn’t happen and no timeline has been provided as to when that might be delivered. The Chief Agriculture Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Doug McKalip talked about the matter at the Potato Expo this week. “USTR is committed to using every tool at their disposal to getting, what is now a ...

Source: Brownfield Ag