05/25/06 Gregoire asks Fox to remove apple tariffs

Washington Ag May 25, 2006 Governor Christine Gregoire had a request of Mexican President Vicente Fox when he visited a Yakima area orchard yesterday. Gregoire: "Mr. President I join with my friends who come before you today and ask you to take down the barriers for us to export the finest apples, Red and Golden Delicious, that you see being grown right here, to the citizens of Mexico to enhance our trade relationship. Please, before you leave a as President do what you can to make that happen." In his remarks, heard here through an interpreter, President Fox suggested a dialogue between U.S. and Mexican apple growers over the issue of those 46 percent tariffs. Fox: "Coming from the private sector I learned that many times that dialogue between the growers can resolve things that the authorities and the government cannot find the solution." Fox visited and spoke at the Hispanic owned G&G orchards before heading to Seattle where his visit continued today. Because of the rains we've had in May, and with more expected, the Washington State Potato Late Blight Hotline is now recommending potato growers in the Columbia Basin make a fungicide application at row closure and then again seven days later to control late blight, the exception being rill irrigated fields. I'm Bob Hoff.