This September California Citrus Mutual reported that the United States had struck a new market access agreement with Japan. The agreement was not subject to Congressional approval; we have been awaiting approval by the Japanese National Diet. On December 4, 2019, the Japanese National Diet approved the market access agreement. This is welcome news to [...]
The California Citrus Quality Council (CCQC) is contacting California citrus exporters to provide information about the conditions for the reopening of the New Zealand export market. Attached for your information are the new requirements for shipping to New Zealand. According to APHIS, the market is open. The requirements are extensive, so CCQC would like to [...]
The last several weeks have brought forth some optimism regarding the trade dispute with China and the retaliatory tariffs that are being levied against citrus and other agricultural products. On October 11th, President Trump held a press conference to announce a Phase 1 agreement with China. That deal, subject to final documentation, is that China [...]
It was announced today from the World Trade Organization (WTO) that on October 18, 2019, the U.S. will start to impose tariffs on up to $7.5 billion of goods from the European Union. This comes after subsidies were given to Airbus that created a competitive disadvantage for California Citrus and a multitude of other products. [...]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the distribution timeframe of fresh citrus products to various food nutrition assistance programs. There were three solicitations last year and this year there are four. You can find the delivery timeline with specifics by following this link; https://www.ams.usda.gov/content/pre-solicitation-announcement-trade-mitigation-purchase-fresh-citrus-products. The solicitations will be issued soon and will be [...]
Last week, President Casey Creamer and Strategic Advisor Joel Nelsen were in Washington, D.C. as part of the United Fresh Produce Association’s Washington Conference. The team participated in the Government Relations Council and held multiple congressional meetings with a focus on trade. USTR Ag Ambassador Greg Doud briefed the fresh produce industry on the status [...]
The laments coming from production areas around the world may bode a more stable beginning for the California navel and mandarin industry this October. Reduced supplies from Chile and South Africa appear to have eliminated inventory issues and lingering fruit in the U.S. market, thereby setting the stage for demand at the outset of the [...]
The announcement by the Administration regarding the market access agreement with Japan is excellent news for the California citrus industry. "The California citrus industry has faced a 32% Japanese tariff rate for far too long," states CCM President Casey Creamer. "As Japan entered into agreements with other citrus-producing trading partners the California citrus industry was [...]
Growers should be sitting down with their shippers and marketers to determine “what if” strategies should the 18/19 season show signs of re-emerging. This means will the navel and mandarin season get off to a better start than last year? Last year there were several dynamics that adversely affected net returns per acre. Growers, shippers, [...]
Over the last several weeks, the staff here at CCM has received questions as to why the citrus industry is not getting direct payments. Since the first round of trade mitigation, several commodities in California have been added to the Market Facilitation Program and growers are wondering why they are not being paid for their [...]