November, 1999
Latin American apple buyers tour four U.S. states
Four major Midwest and East Coast apple producing states, including Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, hosted fruit buyers and importers from Latin America the week of Oct. 18.
The Latin American Trade Mission arranged by the U.S. Apple Export Council, is designed to increase the four participating states’ apple exports to the Caribbean and other Latin American countries.
The buyers toured packinghouses and orchards and met with shippers during the four-day tour. The trade mission included buyers from some of Latin America’s largest fruit importers headquartered in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico and El Salvador with companies throughout Latin America.
“The Caribbean and Latin America are prime markets for our growers,” noted Nancy Israel, executive director of the Virginia Apple Growers Association. “So this is an incredible opportunity for all of us. It’s a major step that the states are working together to stimulate export to these markets. We’ve been on trade missions to Latin America before. But this is the first time we’ve had buyers come here. The whole idea is to meet and greet, build personal relationships, and have the buyers get an idea of what kind of fruit we have. And it is essential for growers from the four states to hear first hand what the buyers want and what their needs are.”
Grower Doug Grout of Liberty Growers Inc., one of the hosts for the New York leg of the tour, says that expanding exports is essential for the future of the apple industry.
“Our domestic markets are getting hammered from every direction, not just Washington state and the West Coast, but also from a lot of other countries. We have competition from Chile and New Zealand and South Africa in the off-season. China is coming on strong, which will directly compete with our harvest. So either we diversify and look for new markets or we don’t survive. We’re in a global situation and we’ve got to think globally,” he said.
Mark Arney, manager of the Michigan Apple Committee and secretary/treasurer of the U.S. Apple Export Council, observed that the timing is right for a Latin American trade mission.
“We are delighted to be part of this trade mission. Harvest is in full swing in Michigan and packing sheds are busy shipping fruit, which means the timing could not be better for trade mission participants to see first-hand what we have to offer. I am confident that this mission will help all USAEDC member states in their efforts to increase export business in the Latin American countries.”
