Apple growers in the Pacific Northwest have received a timely boost, with the Washington Apple Commission (WAC) set to receive over US$8.4m through the USDA’s Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) programme.
The US$200m ATP programme has been set up to develop and grow export markets for US suppliers, in a bid to mitigate adverse effects of trade conflicts with foreign countries.
Washington’s apple industry has been hit hard by trade spats with two of its key markets, Mexico and China, where it faces retaliatory tariffs of 20 per cent and 40 per cent respectively. India, another top market, is currently threatening a 25 per cent tariff on US apples.
Around 90 per cent of US apple exports originate from Washington, with the state exporting one-third of its fresh apple crop annually.
“We appreciate the USDA’s support of the apple industry and their understanding of the challenges we are facing due to retaliatory tariffs in our export markets,” said WAC president Todd Fryhover. “This funding will be key to building markets and reducing the impact on Washington apple producers.”
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