Chinese Apples Part 2

Chinese Apples Part 2. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

In November, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) shared a finalized pest list with Chinese officials, in response to a market access request from the Asian country. Todd Fryhover, President of the Washington Apple Commission says it’s hard to put a timeline of this.

FRYHOVER: We’ve heard as short as 3 years and as long as 7 or 8 but I think the key point is that we have given them the pest list. They now have a document to move forward on access.

Playing devil’s advocate, what happens to the domestic apple market if and/or when this occurs?

FRYHOVER: Well that’s anybody’s guess. I’ve talked to many growers that have indicated that it’ll ruin us and I’ve talked to other growers that have said that they’re so one dimensional with the Fuji variety that it shouldn’t cause us too much of a problem.

The U.S. marketplace is pretty much saturated with fruit and of course we do export nearly 30% of the apple crop.

FRYHOVER: China is a northern hemisphere producer just like we are. They don’t have the luxury of bringing their product in here off-season so it has to compete directly with the product that is here in the United States. So that’s a big thing to consider. So it’s really difficult today to stand here and discuss what the futures going to be if China has access because there’s just so many different facets.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.