Evergreen Reporter

WASHINGTON, D.C. –On June 22, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) cheered President Biden’s announcement of an agreement with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to end retaliatory tariffs placed on American apples and pulse crops. The tariffs, put in place in 2019, caused a massive decline in WA apple, chickpea, and lentil exports of these products to India.  

“Today is a very good day for Washington's world-famous apples and an huge boost to Washington state's agriculture economy. India has announced it is lifting retaliatory tariffs that all but shut down the Indian market for Washington's more than 1,400 apple growers and now our growers will once again have access to this $120 million market,” Sen. Cantwell said.

Sen. Cantwell has been a leading voice in the removal of these tariffs.  

• In January, she led a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo requesting an end to the tariffs, during an important Trade Policy Forum with India. 
• In February, she brought up the issue of tariffs directly with PM Modi during a visit to India as part of a senatorial delegation. “To my great interest, [Modi] said the U.S. and India should consider a Free Trade Agreement,” she later recalled. 
• In March, she raised the issue again with U.S. Trade Representative Tai at a Senate Finance Committee hearing. 
• The Senator spoke repeatedly with the new U.S. Ambassador to India, Ambassador Eric Garcetti, pressing the issue. 
• Last week, she led a letter to President Biden requesting that he negotiate an end to the tariffs.  

Overall, U.S. apple exports have plummeted since the tariffs first took effect. In 2017, Washington state apple growers exported $120 million worth of product to India, compared to less than $1 million this season. 

“This is great news for apple growers,” said Jorge Sanchez, of Northern Fruit Company in East Wenatchee, Washington. “India was a critical market for the Washington apple industry, and the tariffs have hit producers of Red Delicious apples especially hard in the last few years. We look forward to the opportunity to rebuild this market, and thank Senator Cantwell and members of the Pacific Northwest congressional delegation for their hard work and dedication in making this happen.”

Last week’s letter led by Sen. Cantwell to President Biden said, in part: 

“It is past time to find a solution to stop the damage inflicted on American apple growers, their employees, and communities by these retaliatory tariffs. In February, India announced a 70 percent cut to tariffs on American pecan exports, demonstrating that progress in tariff reduction for U.S. agriculture is possible. We encourage you to build off this progress and help re-open this critical market for U.S. apple growers.” 

Chickpea and lentil growers in Washington state have also suffered. U.S. pulse crops exports to India plummeted since tariffs on those products first took effect. Prior to the tariffs, American growers exported $180 million worth of pulse crops to India. Now, barely $1 million in pulse crops are being exported.  Sen. Cantwell discussed Washington’s pulse crops with PM Modi during her February visit to India.

Washington state is the largest U.S. producer of chickpeas and the third-leading U.S. producer of lentils.  

Sen. Cantwell has been a strong advocate for Washington state growers. Sen. Cantwell also?sent a letter?urging the Biden Administration to help U.S. potato growers finally get approval to sell fresh potatoes in Japan. This month, Sen. Cantwell hosted Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), chair of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, in the state and the pair?held a forum?with 30 Washington state agricultural leaders in Wenatchee to discuss the upcoming reauthorization of the Farm Bill. 

Video of Sen. Cantwell’s exchanges with U.S. Trade Representative Tai are available HERE and HERE; Video of Sen. Cantwell and Sen. Stabenow’s Zoom press conference ahead of their agricultural forum in Wenatchee is available HERE; and photos of Sen. Cantwell and Sen. Stabenow’s tour of Wenatchee-based grower and exporter of apples, pears, and cherries McDougal & Sons, and Washington State University’s Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center are available HERE.

Original source can be found here.