Cherries to India Pt 1
With today’s Fruit Grower Report, I’m Bob Larson. It’s been an interesting year so far on the trade front with the Japan deal, the USMCA, and Phase-One of a China agreement.But, one potential market is of particular interest to Northwest fruit growers … is India.
Northwest Cherry Growers’ president BJ Thurlby says it’s definitely a work in progress …
THURLBY … “We’ve, you know, quietly been working over the years, trying to bring over some importers quietly and our biggest challenge is that our fruit has phytosanitary restrictions going into India. And, their cold chain there is improving all the time, but it’s still comparatively not great as some other country you would go into.”
But, Thurlby says there are other challenges too …
THURLBY … “There’s going to be some limiting factors for awhile still on cherries. We’ve got to get this phytosanitary situation that they’re requiring. They require us to fumigate, which is a scenario where we go in and these boxes actually get put into a gas chamber and it kills any pests that might be in there and then they go over there.”
Challenges aside, Thurlby says sending International Program Director Keith Hu for a visit is time and money well spent ...
THURLBY … “We’ve got some policy and phytosanitary discussion work to do over there and that’s where Keith’s going to be next week, and we think we’re heading that way. Once we get that taken care of, yes, India looks to me to be, you know, if there’s such things left in the world as the next big boom market for our cherry growers, it’s going to be India.”
Listen tomorrow for more on the next big market for Northwest growers.