Canada and Mexico were the top export markets for US fresh and chilled potatoes in 2021.

While US foreign sales of this product to Canada were 110 million dollars (+17.5%, year-on-year), those shipped to Mexico totaled 60 million (+5.4%), according to data from the Department of Commerce.

Exports of fresh or refrigerated potatoes to Japan (25 million dollars, +96.4%), Taiwan (18 million, -16.8%) and the Dominican Republic (10 million, +147 percent) were next.

To the whole world, these US sales were estimated at 276 million dollars, an increase of 12.7% per year.

Potatoes

With respect to Mexico, since 2003, the United States has sought access to fresh potatoes throughout that country, beyond a 26-kilometer zone along the border between the two countries.

In 2021, Mexico completed the necessary regulatory steps for the access of fresh potatoes from the United States to cities with a population of more than 100,000 people in Mexico.

According to the Trade Representative (USDA), the United States is monitoring the situation to ensure that there is transparent and predictable access for US exporters.

On July 15, 2016, Mexico issued decrees to provide access to fresh US potatoes to areas beyond the 26-kilometer border zone.

However, the Mexican Association of the Potato Industry (CONPAPA) obtained precautionary measures from the Mexican courts that block the implementation of these decrees.

Then, in August 2017 and again in June 2018, a Mexican court issued rulings that prohibited imports of fresh potatoes from the United States beyond the 26-kilometre border zone.

In late October 2018, Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice agreed to hear the appeal of the June 2018 ruling, and an April 2021 decision affirmed the authority of Mexico’s regulatory agency to expand access to fresh potatoes from the United States.