U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) joined 67 members of Congress in sending a bipartisan, bicameral letter to the president asking that he prioritize market access for U.S. fresh potatoes during Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s March 19 visit to the United States.
“Gaining fresh access to Japan would result in an estimated $150 million a year in new American potato exports,” the lawmakers wrote Trump in a March 11 letter. “Put in perspective, new market access would make Japan the largest export market for U.S. fresh potatoes outside of North America and bring tremendous benefits for farming communities in our states.”
Sen. Hoeven and his colleagues pointed out that international trade and foreign export markets are critical to the U.S. potato industry, with roughly 20 percent of American-grown potatoes exported around the world, contributing nearly $4.8 billion in economic growth, and supporting nearly 34,000 jobs in the United States.
“Japan, however, continues to shut U.S. potatoes out of its market with no scientific basis,” wrote the lawmakers, noting that the U.S. first requested fresh potato access in Japan more than 30 years ago.
And while the market access petition was elevated to a top priority in the U.S.-Japan plant health negotiations in September 2019, since then “Japan continues to delay substantive technical discussions on table stock potato access. There is no valid phytosanitary justification for these delays,” they added.
At the same time, technical discussions have not made meaningful progress, according to the letter, which urges Trump to highlight the issue in discussions with the Prime Minister.
“Japan represents a massive market with significant export opportunities for American potato growers,” Sen. Hoeven and the lawmakers wrote. “Securing this long-delayed market access petition and unlocking the critical Japanese export market would make a meaningful difference for potato growers in our states and across the country.”
Among the members who also signed the letter were U.S. Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT), Susan Collins (R-ME), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and U.S. Reps. Bryan Steil (R-WI), Julie Fedorchak (R-ND), Gabe Evans (R-CO), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Robert Bresnahan (R-PA), John Moolenaar (R-MI), and Bill Huizenga (R-MI).
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