Indian Tariff Reduction to Boost Australian Citrus

Jim Rogers International, Trade

Tariffs on Australian citrus exported to India will be cut in half Dec. 29 following the finalization of the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AI-ECTA), Citrus Australia announced. Both the Australian and Indian governments have ratified the agreement. The agreement will allow Australian citrus exporters to export oranges and mandarins to India under a tariff-reduced quota system. The current …

china

Brazil to Benefit From Suspension of UK Juice Tariff

Jim Rogers Brazil, Orange Juice, Trade

The United Kingdom (UK) government recently announced the suspension of the tariff on the import of concentrated and ready-to-drink juices between Jan. 1, 2023, and Dec. 31, 2024. The decision should benefit juice shipments from Brazil to the United Kingdom. Although the tariff suspension applies to juices from all origins, Brazil dominates global orange juice (OJ) exports. The Brazilian Association …

Tariffs to Decline on Australian Citrus Exports to India

Jim Rogers International, Trade

India and Australia have reached an interim outcome in free trade agreement negotiations that will reduce tariffs on Australian citrus exports by 50%. When enacted, the interim agreement will allow the entry of 13,700 tons of Australian citrus into India at a reduced tariff of 15%. The agreement coincides with a renewed effort by Citrus Australia to increase exports to …

Florida OJ Tariffs Lifted in United Kingdom

Jim Rogers Orange Juice, Trade

The United States and the United Kingdom announced a trade accord on March 22. The United States will remove tariffs on British steel and aluminum, while the United Kingdom will remove retaliatory tariffs on a number of American exports, including Florida orange juice. “We appreciate the work of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in …

Mandarin Crop Losing Ground in Europe

Jim Rogers International, Mandarins, Trade

In 2021–22, European Union (EU) mandarin production is forecast to decline 7.5% from the previous year to 2.9 million metric tons (MMT), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. EU mandarin production may also be almost 5.5% lower than the 10-year average production of 3.1 MMT. The shortage in EU mandarin production is mainly the result of …

Slow Progress for Port Problems

Jim Rogers California Corner, Trade

California ports remain a critical logjam for products shipped in or out of the country. However, fresh fruit, including California citrus products, is managing to get to foreign markets. Shipping specialist Taylor Ball said “Fruit is getting shipped, but there is a lot of stress and worry involved. But demand remains high, and the prices are good.” Ball manages West …

Pest Prompts Revised Import Requirements

Ernie Neff Pests, Trade

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Aug. 20 revised the entry requirements for citrus fruit from the Districts of Riverina and Sunraysia in Australia. According to APHIS, the revision is necessary because both Riverina and Sunraysia no longer meet the requirements to be considered fruit fly-free areas for Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni). …

USDA Expands Citrus Imports From Australia

Ernie Neff Trade

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is expanding the production areas in Australia from which fresh citrus fruit may be shipped to the United States. It is also revising the conditions under which citrus from Australia may be imported. Currently, imports of fresh citrus fruit are allowed into the United States from the Riverina …

Renewed Effort to Stop Chinese Citrus Imports

Ernie Neff Trade

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida recently urged U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to re-implement a prohibition on the importation of five varieties of citrus from China. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in April 2020 decided to allow the importation of the Chinese varieties. “The USDA’s decision continues to risk an increase in unfair trade competition …

Spanish Lemon Growers Optimistic About Tariff Suspension

Tacy Callies Trade

By Francisco Seva Rivadulla The Agricultural Association of Young Farmers (ASAJA) Murcia expressed “enormous optimism” for the suspension of tariffs agreed to by the United States and the European Union (EU). Tariffs on Spanish lemons exported to the United States that were set at 25% have been temporarily lifted for four months. Similarly, the EU has suspended tariffs on U.S. …

grapefruit

Grapefruit Part of Tariff Suspension

Ernie Neff Grapefruit, Trade

Florida grapefruit grower and packer Dan Richey hopes a recently announced four-month suspension of tariffs on U.S. products shipped to the European Union (EU), including grapefruit, will become permanent. The EU and the United States on March 5 agreed on the mutual four-month suspension of the tariffs related to World Trade Organization (WTO) aircraft disputes. The suspension will cover all …

Citrus Showcase Speaker Predicts Trade War Ahead

Len Wilcox California Corner, Trade

Geopolitcal expert Peter Zeihan was the keynote speaker for the recent California Citrus Mutual Showcase. The showcase was presented March 4 online. Zeihan said he believes North America will recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19 this year, but the rest of the world will not. That, along with other factors, leads him to predict a trade war is inevitable, …

Remedy to EU Grapefruit Tariffs Sought

Ernie Neff Trade

The European Union (EU) recently imposed approximately $4 billion in tariffs on U.S. grapefruit and other agricultural products. The tariffs, authorized by the World Trade Organization, are punishment for U.S. subsidies for the Boeing Company.   “Once again U.S. agriculture is caught in the crossfire of a dispute that is not of our making and we are used as leverage …

Korea Is the Top Market for U.S. Oranges

Ernie Neff Trade

Korea is the United States’ top export market for oranges and the third largest market for lemons and grapefruit, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) recently reported. Oranges, lemons and grapefruit account for 99 percent of the country’s total citrus imports. More information from USDA/FAS about the Korean market follows: Citrus imports by Korea dropped in 2019 …

CCM Supports Plan to Address Imports

Len Wilcox California Corner, Trade

On Sept. 10, California Citrus Mutual (CCM) commended the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) for the actions they recently announced to address the injury caused by increased imports of seasonal and perishable products. The federal Report on Seasonal and Perishable Products in U.S. Commerce was announced earlier this …

Mutual Reacts to Federal Plan for Imports

Ernie Neff Trade

A recently announced Trump administration plan (see the full 28-page document) to address the threat posed by increased foreign imports to American producers of seasonal and perishable fruits and vegetables does not specifically address citrus. But Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) Executive Vice President/CEO Mike Sparks noted that many of Florida’s other fruits and vegetables weren’t specifically addressed in the plan, …

Growers to Offer Trade Input

Ernie Neff Trade

The Trump administration will hold two hearings in August with seasonal produce growers to discuss foreign trade policies that may be harming farmers. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, recently announced the hearings planned for 9 a.m. Aug. 13 and Aug. 20. At the hearings, officials from the federal agencies will hear from farmers …

Bill Aims to Prohibit Citrus Imports From China

Ernie Neff Legislative, Trade

Florida Congressman Greg Steube on June 11 introduced the U.S. Citrus Protection Act, legislation that would prohibit the importation of commercially produced fresh citrus fruit from China. “As farmers and ranchers in Florida and across the country are struggling to cope with the decreased demand for their products as a result of the economic shutdowns, more than ever we need to put …

California Citrus and Chinese Tariff Exemptions

Tacy Callies California Corner, Trade

The latest development in the Chinese market came as welcome news for the California citrus industry, as China moved to implement tariff exemptions. California Citrus Mutual President Casey Creamer explained that the tariff reduction is coming at an important time for the industry. “It’s probably the break we’ve been looking for when it comes to citrus movement to China,” Creamer …

Florida

China Import Concerns Addressed

Ernie Neff Export/Import, Trade

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia have responded to citrus industry concerns about China being allowed to ship fresh citrus to the United States. Representatives of the Florida and Georgia citrus industries objected when the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in April announced it would allow the imports. Industry concerns focused on the …