News

Cherry growers concerned about import dumping

A spokesperson for the cherry industry says import dumping is hindering their market.

Mollie Woods with the Cherry Industry Administrative Board represents growers across the U.S. including in Michigan and Wisconsin.  She tells Brownfield while export issues have not left the cherry industry unharmed, import dumping is having a greater impact, “The United States gave Turkey special duty-free access for tart cherry juice concentrate in particular, and in fact Cherry Marketing Institute petitioned for revocation of that access and that was just granted.”

She says lost market share has resulted in a large carryover and reduced prices this year even though production was down slightly, “There were some real drought issues here in Michigan, so our cherries didn’t size quite as well, however with dry weather we ended up with excellent quality.”

She expects the recent trade truce with China will be positive for cherry growers, “I know that our processors and marketers look at it as a really strong market for growth.  The Chinese consumer likes dried cherries a lot.”

Woods says USDA purchases through the Market Facilitation Program will also help reduce inventories. Woods was attending the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable, and Farm Market Expo in Grand Rapids, Michigan.