The United States Potato Board and National Potato Council are making great progress in behind-the-scenes work to increase the export of U.S. potatoes.
The west coast Bryant-Christie export consulting company, hired to help pave the way, said this week that the Board is not only solving existing problems but working to make sure new problems do not arise.
Bryant-Christie said the National Potato Council is also heavily involved. The NPC is working with the Codex Alimentarius, the international food safety standards organization, helping ensure that the chemicals used by the U.S. industry are accepted in export markets.
"A lot of this work isn't all that visible," Bill Bryant said. "It's fixing an immediate problem, but solving immediate problems and preventing new ones is the combination that is needed to open, expand and sustain international business."
Bryant says the Council and Board should really be commended for-in a relatively short period of time-raising the visibility and priority of potato issues in international negotiations.
[See complete report in the August issue of Potato Grower magazine.]