The day potato farmers in San Luis Valley had been waiting on for more than 25 years finally came as Mexico’s decades long limitation on Colorado-grown potatoes came to an end earlier this month, reports Marianne Goodland for The Gazette.
That change is the result of a late 2021 agreement and a more recent one, signed in April, between the two countries. The agreement, according to a May 12 news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, means U.S. potato exports to Mexico could more than quadruple over the next five years.
“Colorado is strategically positioned to lead the nation in potato exports to Mexico providing new revenue for Colorado potato farmers,” Gov Jared Polis said.
But the degree to which the new agreement benefits the San Luis Valley remains a big question mark, in large part because of drought.
James Ehrlich, executive director of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee, said that after years of drought, continuing into this year, farmers are “not going to be able to increase our production capability.” He added though that potato exports to a wider Mexican market represent a “huge opportunity, with 70 million new customers that we didn’t have before.”
