Western Growers, a leading US trade association, has welcomed the appointment of Mike Johanns as secretary of agriculture.

Johanns was confirmed on a voice vote a few hours after George Bush took the oath of office last week.

In a statement, Tom Nassif, president of Western Growers Association, said: “We look forward to bringing leaders in the specialty crop industry to Washington D.C. to meet with the secretary to discuss cooperation to ensure a sage domestic food supply of our fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts.

“We would like to discuss the challenges our industry faces from an uneven playing field on the international stage, especially the U.S. trade policy with regard to our industry.

“We need to discuss the importance of the Specialty Crop Competitiveness Act for research, science, marketing and increased use of technology. We will certainly encourage him to visit the West to meet with our producers and learn first hand about the value we bring to the health of this nation and our economic impact on this country’s stability.”

Western Growers is an agricultural trade association whose 3,000 members grow, pack and ship 90 percent of the fresh vegetables and nearly 70 percent of the fresh fruit and nuts grown in Arizona and California, about one-half of US fresh produce.

Topics