Why Trump’s New Tariffs Could Take a Bite Out of the U.S. Apple Industry

The new set of tariffs just unveiled by President Trump are roiling economic waters around the globe. Reports of targeted trade partners looking to impose retaliatory tariffs of their own are adding to growing concerns. Closer to home, agriculture groups are coming to grips with the potential impacts these new tariffs could have. In response to the latest tariffs announcement, U.S. Apple Association (USApple) President and CEO Jim Bair released a statement.

“With the President’s tariffs announcement, all of the top 5 export markets for U.S. apples have been targeted. Mexico, Canada, Taiwan, Vietnam, and India in 2024 combined to purchase $756 million worth of U.S. apples.

We support holding trading partners accountable. Countries that would be ideal markets for U.S. apples shut us out due to non-tariff trade barriers. That’s why USApple strongly supported the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which is working well. And those countries remain our largest export destinations.

As we painfully experienced with India in the past, U.S. tariffs can trigger retaliatory measures that restrict access to key export markets and harm apple growers across the country. It’s critical for the health of the entire U.S. apple industry to maintain strong, stable trade relationships with all of our current and potential export partners.

Just last week, 90 apple growers, packers, and shippers from 14 states traveled to Washington, DC, for USApple’s Capitol Hill Day. In more than 100 meetings with House and Senate offices, industry leaders delivered a clear message to lawmakers: trade matters to the future of the U.S. apple industry.”

Among the new tariffs, several of major concern for Bair and the domestic apple industry include: China (+34%); Taiwan (+32%); Vietnam (+46%); and India (+27%).

So, how will these countries and others respond? Bair wrote in a LinkedIn post: “Now we wait nervously for their reaction and hope for calm.”