US- South Korea FTA bears fruit for cherry growers
Washington cherries are a good example. This year 380,000 boxes of cherries have been shipped to the country - this is nearly double last year's 171,000 boxes for the same period.
"We’ve already surpassed our expectations and we have another month and a half to go," B. J. Thurlby, president of Northwest Cherry Growers and the Washington State Fruit Commission, said.
When the agreement, known as KORUS, came into effect in March, it signalled the end of a 24% tariff on cherries.
It's good news for Washington clearly. The state's two ports are together responsible for313,000 jobs so increased international trade is bound to be welcomed.
The increased trade in cherries is not only of benefit to the US, however, it is also good news for consumers in South Korea where, until now, they have had to pay over $10 per pound of US grown cherries.
Source: blog.heritage.org
