Looking at the Mexico Tariff Issue. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report.
On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was questioned about what was being done to fix the trucking issue that prompted the Mexican government to level tariffs on dozens of U.S. products including cherries, apples, pears, potatoes and more grown here in the NW. Bruce Grim, executive director of the Washington Hort Association says Senator Patty Murray is trying to get some answers.
GRIM: Senator Murray has been a hard worker in terms of making people aware this is having a very detrimental impact on growers; pear growers, cherry growers especially in the State of Washington and with the addition of apples it's only going to ramp this up.
Members of the Washington Dairy industry were on hand even though there are currently no tariffs on dairy products.
GRIM: The potato guys were talking about roughly $41-million in lost sales. I think we're anticipating that something around $44-million on the apple side of it, around 11 on pears so just in the State of Washington alone we're approaching a $100-million dollars of lost sales as a result of this retaliatory tariff.
Even if a solution is found quickly, many believe the damage has already been done.
GRIM: One of the comments that one of the guys made in regards to the potato side of it which I think rings true is that Mexico is now sourcing potatoes out of Canada and even if this tariff were to end tomorrow, their fear is they've lost some business relationships that they just won't get back tomorrow. Just because a tariff goes away it's a longer term thing.
More on Monday.
That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.
