<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;line-height:130%"> Colorado</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By Eric Anderson<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">3.29.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The National Potato Council and the United States Potato Board have announced that the state of Colorado has been approved to ship fresh potatoes to Taiwan, effective April 1, 2013. <img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/colorado-potato-march-29-cropped.jpg" alt="IMAGES MARCH 29 2013" />The country represents the fourth largest market for US fresh potatoes. Exports in 2012 reached 17, 678 metric tons valued at $8,916,613. . The United States retains 90-plus percent market share for exports of fresh potatoes to Taiwan, which are made up of approximately 60 percent chipping potatoes and 40 percent table-stock potatoes. Export levels are dependent on Taiwan’s domestic potato crop, especially for chipping potatoes. Other varieties are less affected by local production, according to a press release.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The National Potato Council and the United States Potato Board along with the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee began the request for access to Taiwan in 2003. In 2009, APHIS submitted the pest list for Colorado so Taiwan could conduct the required Pest Risk Assessment (PRA), which was completed in 2011. In October 2011, Taiwanese officials traveled to Colorado to complete the review process.<img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/colorado-potato-march-29-cropped-2.jpg" alt="IMAGES MARCH 29 2013" />In December 2012, the Council of Agriculture in Taiwan informed APHIS the PRA was complete, and they were prepared to allow shipments of Colorado potatoes to Taiwan once administrative steps were completed. On March 18, 2013, Taiwan announced the opening of the Taiwanese market to Colorado potatoes beginning April 1, 2013.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">This success is the result of the excellent working relationship between the US potato industry and USDA, and through the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Initiative, funded by USPB, NPC, and the state potato grower organizations, which pursues market access opportunities for fresh and seed potatoes.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.coloradopotato.org/" target="_new">Colorado Potatoes </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
