|
Click to listen to this article
|
The National Potato Council (NPC) has joined 32 food and agriculture trade associations recommending the prompt confirmation of former Colorado Senator Kenneth Salazar to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. The nomination hearing is scheduled for July 28 with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In the letter to the Committee leadership, the group wrote, “We regard our nation’s relationship with Mexico to be of first order importance and submit that Senator Salazar is a proven statesman with keen insights into this long, rich and complex bilateral relationship.”
“NPC and the entire potato industry have a very solid relationship with Ambassador-nominee Salazar. His representation of Colorado during his time in Congress provides a strong background in our issues and specifically the ongoing trade dispute with Mexico. We strongly support his confirmation by the Senate,” said Bob Mattive, NPC Executive Committee member from Colorado.
The letter comes as both countries continue negotiations on several high-level issues, including U.S. efforts to urge Mexico to move forward in issuing regulations to reinstate access to U.S. fresh potatoes. The nomination hearing also precedes a meeting expected in August between USDA Secretary Vilsack and Mexican Agriculture Secretary Villalobos, which is also to include discussions around resolving Mexico’s long-standing dispute with the United States on fresh potatoes.
The full letter can be found here.
