Idaho Commodity Reps Join Gov. Otter on China Trade Mission
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and representatives of the state's milk, potato, wheat and hay industries will visit China on a trade mission.
The Capital Press reports that the visit will last from Oct. 28 through Nov. 5. Idaho's last trade mission to the country was in 2012. Otter says China's 300 million middle class citizens are driving demand for the food products Idaho specializes in, causing the country to become Idaho's third-largest export market. Potato processors and representatives of the Idaho Potato Commission will participate in the trip.
China currently imports processed potato products but not fresh tubers. Laura Johnson, who manages the Idaho State Department of Agriculture's market development division, says China has the world's second-largest economy and is "a huge market with tremendous potential."