The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal &Plant Health Inspection Service is working to provide data to officials in South Korea that it hopes will result in a reversal of a decision to ban potato exports from Oregon, Washington and Idaho.
Jim Cramer, director of the market services program area for the Oregon Department of Agriculture, said that the agency received word Aug. 10 that South Korea would begin enforcing the ban effective Aug. 17. The ban was issued in the wake of concerns about the zebra chip disease.
According to USDA, zebra chip is a bacterial disease spread by the potato psyllid. When potatoes are cooked, the striping becomes obvious.
US Table stock potatoes offered in Lotte Mart (South Korea). The vast majority of US potatoes exported to Korea is used for chips processing.
