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4 CapitalPress.com Friday, December 20, 2019 Apple Commission eyes Vietnam By DAN WHEAT Capital Press WENATCHEE, Wash. — The Washington Apple Commission is focusing on Vietnam, India and Indonesia for potential growth of apple exports as China remains questionable. Even with the Dec. 13 announcement that agriculture is included in a new Phase One U.S.-China trade deal, Todd Fry- hover, Apple Commission, presi- dent expressed caution, saying the “devil is in the details.” He noted the U.S.-China Busi- ness Council has not been very optimistic, that Chinese apple importers have to make a profit and that lower tariffs would help. With a 60% tariff China still imported 908,809 boxes of Wash- ington apples last season, but so far is down 23.8% from the same point a year ago, Fryhover said, adding it could end up about 700,000 boxes this season which “could be a real disappointment.” While a smaller market than India, Vietnam is the only one of the three that is grow- ing and appears to be the most trou- ble-free. It has a 10% tariff com- Todd pared to India’s Fryhover 70% and doesn’t have the import permit problems of Indonesia. “The average age in Vietnam is 32. There are 97 million con- sumers there. It’s a young soci- ety. These are the people we need to convince to eat more apples and they’re users of social media net- works,” Fryhover told apple com- missioners at a Dec. 11 meeting. Fryhover had just returned with two Washington apple growers from a promotional push in Indone- sia, Thailand and Vietnam that was funded by Agricultural Trade Pro- motion federal tariff relief. They met with consumers in marketplaces and with retailers and importers. Growers John Fre- ese of Omak and Jose Rameriz of Royal City accompanied Fryhover. Simultaneously, growers Car- los Lopez of Cowiche and Andy Arnold of Mattawa took part in a similar trip to Mexico led by Rebecca Lyons, the commission’s export marketing director. Arnold, who also is director of farm operations for Domex Super- fresh Growers in Yakima, told commissioners that a large Mex- ico City marketplace was a big eye-opener. “They put everything off their own trees in the market, even apples with russet and bitter pit,” Arnold said, noting the superior quality of Washington apples. “Authenticity is the key con- nection of growers to consumers. Consumers, particularly younger ones, want to know where their fruit is coming from and who grows it. These guys’ stories really resonated with the people we were speaking to,” Fryhover said. The growers stressed Washing- ton quality and food safety in media interviews in the foreign countries, he said. A third trip is planned for Janu- ary to India and Thailand. The commission is also inter- ested in Colombia, but protests against the government there would make it hard to get media attention. Any trip will be delayed for more favorable conditions, Lyons said. Mexico is Washington’s largest apple export market, usually taking around 10 million, 40-pound boxes and peaking at over 15 million from the big 2014 crop. Anticipated passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is expected to make the Mexican market more reliable with fewer phytosanitary and market dumping allegations. This year, Mexico has its largest domestic crop in years, which will pressure the market, Fryhover said. “In a season like this (large crop) we need to do close to 15 million. Right now we’re up 17.4% com- pared with last year and last year was 10.3 million so maybe we’ll hit 11 million. We have to find a way to pick that up,” he said. India, Indonesia and Vietnam all have growing middle classes with money to buy Washington apples, Fryhover said. Even with a 50% tariff on U.S. apples for years, India has been a top market for Washington apples, averaging about 5 million, 40-pound boxes annually worth roughly $100 million. Now the tariff is 70% and U.S.-India trade negotiations appear stalled. Europe also competes there. Fryhover said he’ll be happy if Washington sells 3 million boxes to India this season. Indonesia’s peak since 2000 has been 2.6 million boxes and prob- ably will be similar to last year at 1.4 million, he said. Import permit problems continue. Vietnam is up 71.9% so far this season and should reach 2 million boxes this year, up from 1.7 million last year, Fryhover said. “It’s a great success because they pay the price and have a wide diver- sity of varietal interest,” he said. Vietnam was once a conduit for Washington apples into China, but Fryhover said he hasn’t been able to confirm if that’s still happening. Washington legislator: Let’s double maximum revenue for cottage foods By DON JENKINS Capital Press A Washington legislator has pro- posed doubling to $50,000 a year the gross revenue makers of home- made foods can collect before they come under the state’s food pro- cessing law. Rep. Carolyn Eslick, R-Sul- tan, said she introduced House Bill 2218 at the request of a constituent, who said she won’t be able to make her business work with the current $25,000 cap. “We need to make it as easy as possible to make money, especially for those trying to raise children,” Eslick said. The Legislature in 2011 autho- rized “cottage” food-makers to sell their homemade products directly to consumers. The state has about 300 licensed cottage food-makers, who are regulated by health offi- cials and the state Department of Agriculture. The food-makers prepare their products in home kitchens, pay fees and are subject to inspections. There are rules to follow, including one that bars infants, small children or pets from the kitchen during food preparation. Lawmakers initially capped gross income at $15,000 a year. The limit was raised to $25,000 a year in 2015. Apple license plate proposed By DAN WHEAT Capital Press Courtesy Photo Washington state Rep. Carolyn Eslick, R-Sultan, has introduced a bill to double to $50,000 the gross reve- nue a person can collect selling homemade food directly to customers. The Department of Agriculture is open to talking about raising the cap, an agency spokesman said. A $50,000 cap on annual gross sales would match the limit for Cal- ifornia’s cottage food-makers. In Oregon, the cap is $20,000. In Idaho, homemade foods that don’t need refrigeration can be sold without a license directly to consumers. Eslick also has introduced leg- islation to change labeling require- ments on homemade foods. House Bill 2217 would eliminate the requirement that food-makers put their home addresses on labels. Instead, the labels would have the number of the permit issued by the state Department of Agriculture. “These are moms taking care of their children. They don’t want peo- ple coming to their home,” Eslick said. Storms in central, south Idaho aid snowpack By BRAD CARLSON Capital Press Recent storms in cen- tral and southern Idaho boosted snowpack that had Washington Apple Commission A new specialty vehicle license plate has been proposed in Washington to generate revenue for the Washington Apple Education Foundation. fallen well behind long-term averages after a warm, dry November. Storms Dec. 11-12 affected snow-water equiv- alents in the state’s central th For December 28 th Issue: For December 27 Issue: News Display & Legal Ads - Friday, Dec. 21st @ Noon News Display & Legal Ads - Friday, Dec. 20th @ 3PM CLASSIFIED REMAINS THE SAME Class Display - Monday, Dec. 23rd @ 5PM Class Display - Wednesday, Dec. 26th @ 10 am - Monday, Dec. 23rd @ 5PM Class Class Liners Liners - Wednesday, Dec. 26th @ Noon mountains, while a weather system that arrived late Dec. 13 and continued the next day targeted areas south of the Interstate 84-86 corridor. The first storms “added a considerable amount to our central mountains,” said Tim Axford, warning coor- dination meteorologist with the National Weather Ser- vice in Pocatello. “Even though they didn’t get us back up to where we typ- ically are at this time of year, they did increase snow totals substantially across the Sawtooths and central mountains,” includ- ing around Sun Valley and Stanley. After a mostly dry Dec. 13, storms that arrived that night and lasted into the next day added signifi- cant snowpack to the south and east, he said. This area also previously lagged the 30-year average for the time of year. Eastern Idaho snow- pack is important because it supplies water the upper reaches of a Snake River that supports irrigation, power, recreation and other uses across a large area. The region’s high-altitude melt can continue into late summer. “At the headwaters of the Snake above Palisades Reservoir, we are sitting right at 100% of normal” as of Dec. 16, Axford said. “Anywhere south of that, we are at or above our sea- sonal average so far.” Reservoirs in the Upper Snake River system are at 68% of capacity, around year-earlier levels, he said. 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Snow- pack thus is well above normal in Utah, Colorado and parts of Wyoming, and behind long-term averages from central Idaho through the Northwest. Snowpack in many basins dropped from 150 to 200% of normal at the end of October to well below normal a month later, Axford said. The dry November, which put snowpack totals farther behind season-to- date averages as time pro- gressed, largely was a result of persistent high pressure over the Western U.S. “That cut us off from any mois- ture coming in from the Pacific,” he said. Troy Lindquist, NWS senior service hydrologist in Boise, said most fore- cast models for December through February call for precipitation to be above normal in northern and east- ern Idaho, and near normal in the southwest region. Dec. 16 percentages of average for southeastern Idaho snowpack included 101 in the Snake Basin above Palisades, 105 for Willow-Blackfoot-Port- neuf, and 129 for Bear River, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service reported. Percent- ages in the central moun- tains and basins to the northeast ranged from the low 60s to high 80s. WENATCHEE, Wash. — The Washington Apple Commission is proposing a new license plate celebrat- ing Washington apples and providing revenue for the Washington Apple Educa- tion Foundation. State Sen. Brad Haw- kins, R-East Wenatchee, has pre-filed Senate Bill 6032, authorizing the plate, which has 20 bipartisan co-spon- sors. Hawkins expects the bill to be referred to the Senate Transportation Committee. The plate would feature the Washington apple logo and the slogan, “World’s Finest Apples.” “I’m a big supporter of Washington apples and this will bring awareness to the industry and help raise money for local scholar- ships,” Hawkins said. In 2019, the foundation awarded $1.1 million in scholarships to more than 330 students of tree fruit industry families in Cen- tral Washington. The foun- dation also supports school programs for farmworker families and provides pro- fessional employment pre- paredness training and men- torship to students. At a Dec. 11 Apple Com- mission meeting, commis- sioner Bob Mast, presi- dent of CMI Orchards, Wenatchee, said it’s a great idea for additional founda- tion funding given that it’s a challenging year for the industry financially. The idea came from Jared England, manager of Manson Growers, said Todd Fryhover, commis- sion president. The com- mission agreed to provide a $6,500 refundable payment to the state to cover start-up costs. The Department of Licensing requires the col- lection of signatures of at least 3,500 people who intend to buy the new plates. The Apple Commission is collecting signatures online at ipetitions.com. The signa- tures are needed by Jan. 22. Specialty license plates promoting Washington universities, sports teams, parks, military and other interests range from $60 to $75. The foundation’s por- tion would be $28 per plate, Fryhover said.
