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.

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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.

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