Apples to India Pt 1
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. Washington’s apple industry is looking forward to better times ahead after India announced it was dropping its retaliatory tariffs against apples.
That news, Jim Bair, USApple President and CEO, says means so much to Northwest growers …
BAIR … “When the U.S. imposed the steel/aluminum tariffs in 2018, in the spring, India had overtaken Canada as our second largest apple export market. And it was growing fast.”
Bair says losing the India market really hurt …
BAIR … “Exports of apples, principally from Washington state to India, went from second largest market and growing, to just basically a sell-off the table and went almost to zero. And that was costing, in five years, that cost about $600-million dollars in lost sales for apple growers.”
Bair says finding alternative markets for those apples has been a challenge …
BAIR … “That’s not easy to overcome. And those apples stay here, overhang the market and depress prices nationally. So, getting that market back was a top priority.”
White House meetings with India in June, Bair says ended very well …
BAIR … “We were just so excited that the announcement was made just a little bit later yet that day, that India had agreed to drop that additional 20% tariff.”
Tune in tomorrow for more on regaining India as a U.S. apple export market.
