The National Potato Council (NPC) and United States Potato Board (USPB) have announced that the U.S. potato industry can now begin exporting fresh potatoes to Russia. A market access agreement between the U.S. and Russia was signed last month. The signed agreement provides for market access from all U.S. states.
This agreement is the first plant market access agreement ever to be signed between the U.S. and Russia. Work began on establishing a market access agreement for U.S. potatoes to Russia in 2006. The U.S. potato industry worked through its Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Initiative, jointly funded by the USPB, NPC, and state potato organizations.
The final step in the process was a visit by Russian officials to the U.S. The officials went to Oregon where they met with state and national officials and toured potato production and packing facilities. The Oregon Potato Commission, Washington State Potato Commission, and Idaho Potato Commission helped to organize the visit and hosted this delegation.