Colorado supplies about half of the fresh potatoes Mexico buys, and state farmers see a major business opportunity if trade restrictions ease and they can expand their product throughout the country, agriculture officials said Monday.
About 44 percent of the potatoes Mexico buys every year come from Colorado, but the product is limited to only being imported to within 16 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border because of Mexico trade restrictions over sanitary concerns. Agriculture officials and Mexico’s new consul general in Colorado said they are working to change that to expand trade — something they argue will benefit both countries.
“Look at the map. We have one place where we have a transportation advantage,” said Tim Larsen, senior international marketing specialist at the Colorado Department of Agriculture. The distance between Antonito and Mexico’s border city of Juarez is about 450 miles.
The state’s potato exports to Mexico are worth about $14 million a year but, if exports are expanded, have the potential to reach $60 million, Larsen said. The Associated Press
