Exports play a significant role in the U.S. potato industry, and many grower-shippers and trade organizations hope to see that role continue to expand.
Exports currently account for 20% of the U.S. potato crop, according to Denver-based Potatoes USA. U.S. potato export value was $2.3 billion from July 2024 to June 2025, says Nick Bartelme, global retail development manager.
During the 2024-25 market year, U.S. potato exports accounted for 3.1 million metric tons, he says, citing U.S. Department of Commerce figures.
Progress Made in Mexico
Exporters were especially pleased to see the Mexico market completely open to U.S. potatoes in 2022.
“Our potato export program has continued to grow and remains an important part of our overall business,” says Coleman Oswald, director of sales for Eagle Eye Produce, Idaho Falls, Idaho. “We have seen tremendous growth over the past few years in Mexico in particular.”
The U.S. is now moving $135 million a year worth of fresh potatoes into Mexico, says Kam Quarles, CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based National Potato Council.
Mexico surpassed Japan after nationwide market access for U.S. fresh potatoes was fully achieved, he says.
Opportunities Ahead
Quarles says there’s potential for other markets to open, thanks to President Donald Trump’s trade strategy.
“The president’s trade policy has created leverage for negotiations,” he says. “It has driven people to the table that otherwise wouldn’t be there.”
Quarles cites the Feb. 12 signing of the U.S.-Taiwan Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, or ART, which he called “a major victory for the U.S. potato industry.”
ART will eliminate the 15% tariff on fresh potatoes in effect since the mid-1990s as well as tariffs on other potato products that range from 10% to 18%, he says.
The agreement follows months of advocacy by the National Potato Council to ensure potato market access remained a priority for the Trump administration, he says. It now moves to the Taiwan legislature for review and approval and a final technical review process in the U.S.
The U.S. currently exports $110 million worth of potato products to Taiwan, making it the sixth-largest export market for U.S. potato producers, he says. NPC expects that figure to increase significantly because of the new agreement.
And the industry continues to work on market access for fresh potatoes to Japan. That could be an annual $150 million market, more than a 10% increase in the country’s global fresh potato exports, Quarles says.
“Those are not small moves of the needle; those are big turns of the dial in a positive direction for U.S. growers,” he says, adding it would be “a massive tailwind under the U.S. industry.”
On March 11, NPC issued a press release welcoming a bipartisan, bicameral letter sent to President Trump by 68 members of Congress, urging the administration to prioritize opening Japan’s market to U.S. fresh table stock potatoes during Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s March 19 visit to the U.S.
Potatoes USA is currently exploring export opportunities in Africa and evaluates market opportunities across the globe annually, Bartelme says. Africa represents an emerging opportunity particularly for U.S. seed potatoes, he adds.
There may be longer-term potential for frozen and dehydrated categories as retail modernization and cold-chain infrastructure expand in select markets, he adds.
Global Business at a Glance
The top U.S. potato export markets are Mexico, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines, according to Potatoes USA. Potatoes USA conducts market development activities in more than 20 countries, focusing on Mexico, Central America, the Gulf Cooperation Council and Asia, Bartelme says.
Eagle Eye Produce ships potatoes throughout North America, along with select markets across Asia, the Middle East and parts of Central America and the Caribbean, Oswald says.
Russet potatoes make up most of its export business, with occasional demand for yellow potatoes.
“Potatoes USA’s international marketing focuses on the quality, consistency, performance and innovation of U.S. potatoes to give international buyers reasons to buy U.S. potatoes,” Bartelme says.
