US exports of frozen potato products for Fiscal 2012 (July 2011-June 2012) were up 17% to 905,941 metric tons, and 22% in value to $989,261,082, according to the United States Potato Board (USPB).
Japan was far and away the largest export market at 300,528 tons, up five percent, as the result of further movement into new channels and new products. But China rocketed to second, with a 57% increase to 99,219 tons.
Exports to Mexico have recovered since the retaliatory tariff from the NAFTA trucking dispute was lifted in early 2011. Growth was 31% in to 80,180 tons. US exports to Central America, up three percent to 33,810 tons, slowed as the economies there continued to struggle, and both Canada and the EU were able to
ship low cost product to the market.
Frozen products accounted for 60% of all export tonnage, which was up 10% to 1,506,557 tons. Overall export value grew by 17% to $1,583,563,167. Ritchey Toevs, co-chair of the USPBs International Marketing Committee, credited the combined efforts of USPB, the National Potato Council (NPC), the state
organizations and USDA-APHIS/FAS for the positive performance, but added that the US "supplies the very best potatoes and products at competitive prices," and also cited trade agreements.
"The improvements in market access, be it from US Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), like those with Central America, Korea, Panama and Colombia, and reductions in tariffs by countries like Vietnam and Russia as part of their accession to the WTO, to the removal of phytosanitary barriers to fresh and seed potatoes in countries like Japan, Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Uruguay also contributed significantly to the increase," Toevs said.
