A strategic- and long-term plan to export potatoes and potato products has earned the United States Potato Board $2,955,940 in Foreign Agriculture Service's Market Access Program funds.
This is up 5 percent from 2003. The amount virtually doubles the budged used to increase U.S. potato exports, according to the Board.
Dick Okray, Wisconsin grower and USPB Chairman of International Marketing, said that what is so impressive is that the total pool of available MAP dollars was down slighlty from last year.
"Yet our excellent Unified Export Strategy application earned the Board an increase to put toward opening new markets and increasing international consumption," Okray added.
The USPB's UES is a 280-page document outlining the organization's short- and long-term market access goals and strategies for the potato products marketed in targeted foreign markets.
Marketing includes frozen, dehy, seed and fresh potatoes to many Pacific Rim and Central and South America countries.