Ports and Exports Pt 1
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. Getting our tree fruit to foreign markets should be at least a little easier this year than it has been the past few years.
Washington State Tree Fruit Association President, Jon DeVaney says that’s due, in some part, to fewer tariffs and a new contract for West Coast port workers …
DeVANEY … “It is. It’s good to see some of these positive changes, a little more stable environment for transportation and supply chain issues. You know, not quite the backlogs we were seeing last year at our ports. And seeing some of those retaliatory tariffs start to come off, in particular, on apples to India.”
But India, DeVaney says it will take some time …
DeVANEY … “You can’t gain lost market share overnight. And so, recouping that business is going to take some time and effort. But it’s good to be back in the game and have the chance to do that work which, when those tariffs were in place, really was not a lot of chance of having success when you were facing that extra huge headwind of those retaliatory tariffs.”
DeVaney says it’s a welcome opportunity …
DeVANEY … “I think it’s going to be really beneficial to growers to know that there is at least a chance to access some more customers in some markets that had had great potential in the past.”
Tune in tomorrow for more on moving tree fruit exports to Asian markets.
