Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/240622
IN MY VIEW Jim Allen, New York Apple Association Now, more than ever, exports need to score! As apple production increases, all regions of the country need to increase exports. ast Coast and Midwest apple players are starting to sound more like the West Coast when it comes to exports! Let's get pumped, and let's go apple team! Our goal is to increase exports, and we all need to score in foreign markets to grow sales and increase exports NOW! Washington Apple Commission quarterback Todd Fryhover has been preaching this game plan since I met him a number of years ago in Berlin, and looking at the Washington export numbers over the last few years, I would say that his offense has been successful. Washington exports have steadily increased over the years despite trade issues that continue to pop up. Our exports have not grown as they should because of crop size and because of trade barriers in one of our prime markets, the European Union. I chose to comment about apple exports for a few good reasons. Recently, a U.S. Senate letter was sent to Ambassador Michael Froman, U.S. Trade Representative, spelling out a number of export issues that we all share relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a trade agreement being negotiated between the United States and the European Union. The letter was signed by U.S. senators representing leading apple-growing states, including both Washington and New York, along with Michigan, Idaho, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. I have written in this publication in the past about the importance of leadership collaborating on such important issues as this, for the overall good of the U.S. apple industry. Given the size of Washington export business, Ambassador Froman would have certainly been impressed hearing just from Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray about the TTIP. But throw in Agricultural Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (Michigan), and Ag Committee member Kirsten Gillibrand (New York), along with Judiciary Rules Chair Charles Schumer (New York) along with the others, and the message just became much louder and much harder to pass over. The letter was a good score on behalf of the industry and those that represent us. While the Washington Apple Commission and the Northwest Horticultural Council are heading up the offenses on exports, we all know that the defenses being thrown up by so many in the global markets continue to slow us all down and keep us from our goals. Trade barriers, phytosanitary protocols, tariffs, regulatory standards, and other nontariff barriers continue to push us back. Even now, with the TTIP talks, making sure that both sides are held to the same standards is vital. We cannot provide the European Union with any advantages to reach our markets, while we may be losing advantages to export to Europe. In the East, we were especially held back by the European Union's refusal a few years ago to accept fruit treated with morpholine, an emulsiļ¬er used in wax coatings for apples. This decision hit us at the worst possible time with little notice or time to react. This year, the European Union is at it again with ridiculously low maximum residue levels for the antioxidant DPA (diphenylamine). As a result, our export window could be greatly Products & Solutions for Agricultural Safety Chemical Protective Suit Chemical Gloves Full-Face Respirator Half-Face Respirator Chemical Splash Goggles Chemical Resistant Boots Disposable and Reusable Suits Available Safety First: Follow chemical manufacturer's guidelines for decontaminating the spray suite. Do not use suit if there are cuts, holes, tears, missing snaps, or separated seams. Add a Cooling-Vest on hot days as a heat stress precaution www.oxarc.com Washington - Idaho - Oregon - Shop Online 1-800-765-9055 36 JANUARY 15, 2014 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com