USDA Updates Status of Potato, Wine, Nuts Exports Under Year 5 of Japan Trade Deal

The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service published status reports this week on benefits for U.S. potato, wine and nuts exports as the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement enters its fifth year. The reports outline the various duties that apply to each export this year.

The agency said Japan relies on imports for “most of its nut consumption,” adding that American almond and walnut exporters should see benefits because those nuts are “supplied almost exclusively” by the U.S. to Japan. USDA also said Japan's demand for U.S. potatoes is “strong,” and there are opportunities for U.S. potato exports “in both the food service and retail sectors, especially for frozen potato products and potato bread.” The agency also said Japanese wine consumption has risen steadily over the past decade, and the U.S. will “gain tariff parity with suppliers from the EU, Chile, and Australia” after “full implementation of the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement.”