national watch
In 2011, Washington was the top
domestic sweet cherry producer with 180,000 tons.
top competitors, measured by tons produced, were:
California 85,000
Oregon
36,000
Michigan 19,000
Idaho
3,800
New York 930
Utah
100
Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
the korean connection
Under the new agreement, South Korea will drop a 24 percent
tariff on Washington cherries. For South Korean consumers,
that translates into a savings of anywhere from 75 to 90 cents
per pound, which is expected to create a welcome surge
in demand.
“When you take that tariff away you usually have more volume and better pricing for the consumer,” said Roger Pepperl,
marketing director for the Wenatchee-based Stemilt Growers.
“It’s a win-win for the grower and the consumer.”
The relatively weak American dollar also plays a role in the
strength of the export market over the past couple of years,
Pepperl said. “Our dollars are export-friendly right now.”
Cherry producers contributed a record $367 million to
Washington’s economy in 2010, and the new trade deal could
grow that number significantly since even with the old tariff,
South Korea was already the state’s fifth largest cherry export
customer buying about $15 million worth of product in 2011
according to the Yakima-based Northwest Horticultural Council.
supply and demand
High school football may have put Royal City on the map,
but cherries are what continue to drive the local economy.
Les Dorsing and his family have spent the past half century
growing the tree fruit in the semiarid desert of Grant County.
Dorsing only grows about 300 acres, but worries about a
region-wide cherry tree planting binge. As the new trees
mature over the course of the next two or three years, they
will certainly increase supply.
“I’ve got some real apprehensions about our abilities to market
the new supply under the present conditions,” said Dorsing.
Growers have been planting because even without the
new trade agreements, demand for cherries has been on the
upswing thanks to the rise of the middle-class consumer in
developing nations and several new medical studies highlighting the health benefits of cherries.
While that sounds good on the surface, the concern comes
when considering the federal market order that governs
che