First Shipment of Washington State Potatoes Arrives in Japan

On February 11, 2011, the first shipment of U.S. chipping potatoes from Washington State arrived in Japan.

While thirteen U.S. States are currently eligible to ship to Japan, only the State of California has been shipping since the market open back in 2006.

Japanese importers were reportedly satisfied with the quality of the Washington State potatoes. Hence, more shipments from the state are expected in the coming months.

In 2010, U.S. exports of chipping potatoes hit an all time record at $1.3 million.

Japanese potato chip manufactures use between 310,000 -340,000 metric tons of potatoes annually.