An ocean vessel laden with 60 million pounds of fresh Idaho chipping potatoes is currently on its way to Hiroshima, Japan, marking the first time that fresh potatoes from the United states have been allowed into Japan since an import ban went into effect 55 years ago.

The potatoes must go into processing and are not yet permitted to be marketed through fresh-market channels, but it is a start, and Idaho Potato Commission President Frank Muir is hopeful "that in time, the Japanese government will open up the door even wider to fresh potatoes as we demonstrate our credibility with them" with regard to the safety and quality of the product.

Frozen potatoes have been allowed access to Japan, and in fact Japan is the largest U.S. export market for frozen potatoes. But fresh potatoes have not been allowed entry into Japan since 1950 due to phytosanitary concerns relating to the potato wart bacteria and the cyst nematode, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture press release.

The decision to conditionally lift the import ban follows a notice from the United States that it has eliminated the potato wart bacteria and has contained the cyst nematode to a limited area, the release stated.

According to the USDA release, the announcement that Japan was ending its decades-old ban on the import of U.S. fresh potatoes was made by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns at a meeting of the National Potato Council in Washington, DC.

Japan's decision is welcome news for U.S. potato growers, Mr. Johanns said. This announcement is an important step in the resumption of trade in fresh potatoes with Japan and underscores the importance of following science-based guidelines that facilitate the safe international trade of agricultural products.

Japan has authorized imports of potatoes from 14 states, pending final inspections of U.S. facilities, according to the release. Thus far, inspections have been completed in Idaho, Texas and California, and the first shipment from Idaho is expected to arrive in Japan in March.

Other states on the list, for which final inspections have not yet been completed, are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.

Exports during the first year may be limited until additional Japanese processors are approved to import U.S. potatoes, the USDA release stated. USDA and the U.S. potato industry will work to expand the number of U.S.-approved facilities and the number of states allowed to ship to Japan.

Gaining access to the Japanese market is something that the U.S. potato industry has been working on for 25 years, said Mr. Muir. It has been a cooperative effort with the USDA, the U.S. Potato Board, the National Potato Council and our own department of agriculture here in Idaho, as well as our governor who has led trade missions to Japan, he said.

We are most pleased & that Idaho is the first state to ship potatoes to Japan under the new agreement, Mr. Muir said. We congratulate the grower  R&G Potato Company  that has already started shipping product there.

The first shipment is targeted to land in a port in Hiroshima, which is right next to a processing plant, so it is a very convenient location. We will ship, basically, right to their site without a need for trans-shipment. Before approving the shipment, the Japanese government sent representatives to Idaho who were very thorough in investigating our willingness to comply with their needs and make sure it is exactly to their specifications, Mr. Muir said. R&G has demonstrated that they can do that.

The shipping window for U.S. potatoes going to Japan is February through May. That is basically when potatoes are not available domestically in Japan. So this has been, actually, a significant need for the Japanese people for some time. Typically, the Japanese processors run out of potatoes, so their products literally go out of stock on the shelves during that time, he said. So this is really a win-win situation.

Matt Harris, director of trade for the Washington State Potato Commission in Moses Lake, WA, told The Produce News that the open market bodes well for future exports from his state.

This is the initial stage, Mr. Harris said Feb. 22. Japan is the largest market for french fry exports currently, and the United States has been working for 25 years to open the market further.

Producing 20 percent of potatoes consumed in the United States, Washington state has between 154,000 and 170,000 acres planted, depending on the year and supply/demand equation. Of its total production, 87 percent goes to all manner of processing.

Mr. Harris said that in June and July, 73 million hundredweight of Washington potatoes went to processing, with 1.3 million hundredweight specifically going to chips. Those numbers include both domestic and foreign processors, he said.

Because the newly opened Japanese markets had a receiving window open only between February and June, not a lot of chip stock was available, Mr. Harris said. Still, the one Idaho company that is now shipping is evidence of an expanding marketplace.

Now that the market is open to fresh chip stock, we hope to take it to the next step and open it up to fresh table stock, Mr. Harris said.

In Colorado, the end of Japans ban on fresh potatoes was met with optimism by Jim Tonso of Canon Potatoes in Center.

Were always excited about increased opportunities, Mr. Tonso said. Colorado at the state level has long wanted to export to Japan, but Im not sure exactly how this will affect the San Luis Valley.

Mr. Tonso said that from his perspective, opening Mexico to further imports would be more beneficial.

I think it would benefit this area more to export increased amounts to Mexico, he said. Plus, it would be difficult for us to compete with states that are closer to seaports.

He continued, But volume out of those states opens up more domestic fresh markets, and if this helps remove some of the [potato volume from the fresh market], it helps everyone.

A joint press release from the National Potato Council and the U.S. Potato Board stated that the access to the Japanese market for fresh U.S. chipping potatoes is based on a strict processing protocol that requires the potatoes to be processed into potato chips at approved plants in Japan. This opening was made possible in part because of the close cooperation between the USPB and the Japan Potato Chip Manufacturers Association, which did a great deal of work within Japan.

The effort was carried out through the Phytosanitary Initiative, which employs Bryant Christie Inc. and is funded by the U.S. Potato Board, the National Potato Council and state potato organizations, the joint release stated. State potato grower organizations played a key role in assisting with the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture visits to the U.S. and advising on the protocol development.

The industry would have never achieved its goal without the outstanding work by APHIS personnel both in the U.S. and Tokyo, stated John Keeling, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the National Potato Council.

Exports in the first year will be very limited, since there will only be one processor in Japan approved to import and they will be doing so on a trial basis, said John Toaspern, vice president of international marketing for the board. As the result of a reverse trade mission hosted by the USPB this past summer, that processor has lined up a very limited number of suppliers in the U.S. for these initial test shipments.

(Kathleen Thomas contributed to this story)