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Washington Sen. Cantwell says finish of Indian tariffs to be large boon for state growers
by Chris Daniels, KOMO News Senior Reporter
FILE – In this Feb. 12, 2016, file picture, Kate Evans, a lead scientist at Washington State University’s Tree Fruit Research & Extension Center in Wenatchee, Wash., tastes a slice of a Cosmic Crisp apple, a brand new trademarked and focus group-tested apple selection developed by the WSU lab during the last 20 years. The Cosmic Crisp, the first-ever bred in Washington state, will likely be out there starting Dec. 1 and is anticipated to be a sport changer within the apple business. Already, growers have planted 12 million Cosmic Crisp apple bushes, an indication of confidence within the new selection. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
SEATTLE —
Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell mentioned the state will obtain an multi-million greenback financial increase thanks the tip of tariffs by India on apples, chickpeas and lentils, efficient Wednesday.
“We have about 40,000 people that are involved in apple production and agriculture, and what they always want is to expand opportunities to sell those products,” Cantwell told KOMO News. “India represents about 1.4 billion people. So having these tariffs removed and it allows our growers to have a market that hopefully will continue to grow well into the future.”
The tariffs had been in place since 2018. In June, the Biden administration brokered a deal with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lift the tariffs. Cantwell said the deal also calls for a new Indian consulate to be placed in Seattle or Bellevue.
In a statement, Mark Powers of the Northwest Horticultural Council said he was happy with the official end of the tariffs.
“India officially removing the 20% retaliatory tariff is great news for apples,” Powers mentioned. “We’re looking forward to getting back to business in India as our growers work to rebuild this important market that was devastated by this tariff and return to selling high quality, healthful apples to consumers in India.”
According to Powers, India was once the second largest export market for Washington apples, but exports to India dropped more than 99% from $120 million in 2017 to roughly $1 million this past season.
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“With a new crop of apples being harvested as we speak, the hard work of rebuilding the market and clawing back market share from our competitors begins,” he said.
Cantwell’s office also claims Washington state is the biggest producer of chickpeas in the country, and the third-leading U.S. producer of lentils, which is big business in Whitman County.
When asked about the impact there, the Senator said, “I’ve had a chance to speak to Prime Minister Modi directly about lentils. I will tell you as a nation that gets a lot of their protein sources from chickpeas and lentils that this is a very, very important announcement.”
“We now can look at a big, big market of 1.4 billion people who basically get most of their protein from this source,” she mentioned. “I think the sky’s the limit for the future of Pullman and India to work together on continuing to grow that market and market opportunity.”
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