Ag reps off on gubernatorial trade mission

Apples, potatoes hope to continue good relations with Mexico

For several representatives of the agricultural community, it's Mexico or bust.

Washington State Potato Commission trade director Shannen Bornsen and commissioners Frank Martinez and Roger Knutzen and Washington State Apple Commission export director Tracy King and assistant export director Rebecca Baerveldt are among the delegates on a trade mission to Mexico led by Gov. Gary Locke, beginning today and lasting until Thursday.

Locke's trade mission is to promote two-way trade and tourism.

Also joining the governor on the mission will be Juli Wilkerson, director of the state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development; and Valoria Loveland, director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

"Washington state and Mexico share a rich history of business, educational and cultural exchange, and we value Mexico as one of our leading trade partners," Locke said in a press release. "This mission will allow us to further solidify our trade ties with Mexico, as well as develop opportunities for our state's agricultural, manufacturing and service sectors."

Tracy King said that Mexico is the largest foreign market for Washington apples. The WSAC has a full time representative that works in Mexico, makes regular visits there and the industry sales desks have long, close relationships with all of the key fruit industry people in the country, he said.

"The governor is a very good promoter of the interests of Washington state agricultural exporters and always does a good job touting the superior agricultural products," King said. "Our goal is just to have a little bit of his magic dust rub off to the benefit of the growers of Washington apples."

Rebecca Baerveldt said that the Apple Commission will introduce Loveland to some of the key members in Guadalajara and Mexico City.

"This past year, we've been hampered with a 47 percent tariff on apples, and so our exports are down considerably from traditional levels," Baerveldt said. "It's important then to encourage trade on their end, and we are hopeful that the situation will change in the near future."

WSAC also has a "special and elaborate" event prepared at one of the leading supermarkets in Guadalajara involving the Locke and Washington apples, King said.

He said the mission is important because 30 percent of the apple crop needs to go overseas. If all the product were on the domestic market, prices would plummet and levels would not be profitable because Americans don't consume nearly enough apples to take all of the product.

"For that reason, all of our export markets are very important, and Mexico is the largest export market," he said. "We may be very cynical about politicians in the U.S., but these types of visits in countries such as Mexico draw a lot of attention and bring all sorts of positive P.R. to Washington apples."

Shannen Bornsen said Locke has always carried the potato industry on his agenda in trade missions, so the WSPC always gets invited to go along.

"For us, we're really just going down to strengthen more ties down there and speak to some of the officials that are going to be working on the issue of further opening the border for fresh potatoes," she said. "The Mexican border was just (opened) in April 2003 for fresh potato for the first time for Washington state. With this new market development, it's very important that you're meeting people that affect the industry and affect the development of that market."

Frank Martinez said that the mission will hopefully take fresh potatoes to the next step and allow growers to ship them to the northern Mexican states. They can only ship within 26 kilometers, he said.

"We believe that Mexico is a wonderful opportunity for us to export," he said. "We're already shipping a lot of french fries in to Mexico and we just want an opportunity to compete with our potatoes."

"I think it's interesting that since that market opened, Mexico has become the fourth largest market for fresh potato for Washington state," Bornsen said. "That's pretty significant, when it goes from zero to fourth place in just a year."