US sweet potato exports to Mexico could grow 300%

Efforts funded by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Emerging Markets Program (EMP) to assess t…

Efforts funded by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Emerging Markets Program (EMP) to assess the Mexican market and help buyers embrace U.S. products, have created huge potential for Mexico as a market for U.S. sweet potato exports, according to the American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute (ASPMI).

With the help of EMP funds, ASPMI recently conducted an assessment of the Mexican market for U.S. sweet potatoes concluding that opportunities abound for U.S. exports if Mexican buyers better understand the grades, sizes, and quality of U.S. product. Interviews with the country’s top importers showed strong interest in U.S. sweet potatoes and, as a result of contacts made while conducting the assessment, a large food retailer in Mexico began placing orders.

While export volumes are currently small, ASPMI forecasts exports growing 300% over the coming years if Mexican buyers are provided the training and promotional support to better source U.S. sweet potatoes.

“EMP funding was critical in helping ASPMI identify this important new opportunity, without which the market would have remained untapped,” ASPMI President Johnny Barnes says.