Though Mexican men haven't historically been USPB's target audience, officials with USPB believe they've found a formula for getting the population to add potatoes to the shopping cart-moving potato displays to the meat section.
The promotion in Mexico was among the many efforts to increase U.S. potato demand in foreign markets highlighted by USPB's international representatives during a recent meeting in San Francisco. John Toaspern, USPB's vice president of international marketing, said 28 people attended the meeting, including representatives from the organization's 12 foreign offices, to plan for the new marketing year that began July 1.
Toaspern has been pleased with growth in international markets for potatoes. Though end-of-year numbers won't be released until early September, he said the U.S. industry has averaged 8 percent annual growth in foreign exports for the past five years, and roughly 18 percent of the U.S. crop is now exported.
"I expect it to be about that this year," Toaspern said.
SOURCE: John O'Connell, Capital Press
http://www.capitalpress.com/newsletter/JO-PotatoExports-071113