The Idaho Potato Commission has “a significant international initiative” focused on expanding export markets for Idaho-grown potatoes, according to Seth Pemsler, the commission’s vice president of foodservice and international marketing.

“We have a separate department. We have an international marketing manager that we have added. We have offices outside of the United States. We do trade missions where we take [Idaho producers] to other countries. We do reverse trade missions where we bring buyers from other countries here. We attend multiple trade shows” in locations from Mexico ant the Caribbean to Southeast Asia.

Idaho-grown fingerling potatoes and Idaho Potato Commission literature on display. Export markets are expanding.The commission currently has offices in four different regions around the globe and plans to offer a fifth office, in Korea, “once the current glitch gets worked out” with regard to potato exports to Korea, Mr. Pemsler said.

“We continue to expand to new markets,” he said. “We will be leading trade missions to all the new free trade areas.” There are new free trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and Korea, but the trip planned for Korea hit “a bump in the road” with the discovery of a new pest in the Pacific Northwest that affects the color of potatoes. “Because of that, Korea has closed its borders. We are working on getting it open, but because of that, we are delaying our launch into Korea.”

The commission is also “significantly active” in Mexico and Central America and “we are now expanding into South America,” Mr. Pemsler said. “We have had product going to Singapore and Malaysia for quite a while, and to Hong Kong, and we are going to continue to expand into new areas as they become opportunities.”

That is all in addition to Canada.

“We continue to expand dramatically,” he continued. According to the U.S. Potato Board, U.S. potato exports are now at $1.5 billion and growing. “The international market is a huge opportunity for potatoes, and since Idaho is the largest potato grower in the U.S., that is a big opportunity for us as well.”

In Mexico, currently U.S. potatoes are only permitted to be shipped into a 16-mil border zone, but national potato organizations are in discussions with Mexico regarding opening the border. If that happens, “Mexico will be a huge opportunity” for all U.S. potato growers, Mr. Pemsler said. That market is expected to “grow five-fold very quickly because there is huge demand for U.S. potatoes all through Mexico. Obviously, because of where we are and because of the strength of our Mexican program already, we are very excited about that prospect, and we are preparing for the opening.”