05/22/06 Anticipation of Market Access

Anticipation for Market Access. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Last week we spoke with Dave Carlson, President of the Washington Apple Commission about this years crop and while he says it a quiet time for growers right now, there is plenty of other things to work on. CARLSON: The big issue with us right now is the House is working on funding for the Market Access program. So we're actively soliciting support from our congressional delegation to make sure they fund it at the level they did last year. That's a very important thing for apples, cherries and pears as well as some of the other wheat folks and potato folks. It's all a source of funding for export programs and with the 200 million level that was a big boost for the apple folks as well as the other tree fruit last year. According to Carlson the level of funding needs to remain at about the 200 million dollar level. CARLSON: With the apple crops that we have why it's a very important factor of the apple industry and you know cherries; send a lot of cherries to Taiwan and Japan and it's a big factor for them as well. Congress last year, in spite of the President wanting to cut that program, funded it at the full level of 200 million dollars that the farm bill has in it. But every year they have to fund it so it's a big deal every year. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.