Fruit Growing Season Cut Sharply by Tariffs

In a new report from The Seattle Times, Washington farmers and exporters saw foreign sales cut by 20% to 28% from last year. This report is by a trade-consultant firm and presented as part of panel discussion that is part of a broader national “Tariffs Hurt the Heartland” campaign.

Commodity trade groups are sponsoring this campaign.

“It cut us in half,” Frank Davis, an executive with Washington Fruit and Produce Co., who was a part of the panel.

Davis noted Washington cherry sales to China dropped from 3.2 million cartons in 2017 to 1.6 million cartons in 2018. Davis said tariffs cost growers around $60 million to $80 million. Davis said it’s early to see the impact of tariffs on the apple industry, but Washington growers could lose between $120 million and $130 million.