12/14/06 Asparagus Growers Xmas Wish

NW asparagus growers could receive an early Christmas present that should help level the playing field when it comes to marketing asparagus in the United States. Our growers are waiting with bated breath hoping that congress will fail to renew the dreaded Andean Trade Preferences Act that is set to expire this month. This nasty bit of legislation has provided Peruvian asparagus growers duty free access to our market even during peak asparagus growing seasons, crippling and in some cases destroying our own growers. There won't be coal in growers stockings next year if South America is slapped with tariffs, in fact the regional out look could be rosy. Here is one case where environmentalism works in favor of our farmers as some project that new tariffs will be a result of a democratic congress because the dems as a whole, oppose free trade agreements due to labor standards and environmental impacts. DC Santa, All NW asparagus growers want for Christmas is a neat little package of South Americans tariffs tied up with a big bow. PLEASE !