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| Horticultural & Tropical Products Division | Return to the H&TP Home Page |
June 14, 2002
Argentina’s
Apple and Pear Exports Running at Record Pace
Boosted by the devaluation of the Argentine peso, combined shipments of Argentine apples and pears have exceeded 400,000 tons in the first five months (January-May) of the 2002 season, up 15 percent from the same period last year. The sharp devaluation of Argentina's peso has helped exports and improved peso returns to the main apple and pear growing regions of the Rio Negro and Neuquen. However, in U.S. dollars, returns to shippers are down 8 percent from last season, due to the weakness of the Argentine peso vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar. The Argentine peso has fallen a reported 270 percent in value against the U.S. dollar since January 2002. Argentina plays a major role in world apple and pear exports. In 2001, Argentine pear exports reached about 315,000 tons, valued at $165 million. Shipments of apples during the same year totaled nearly 200,000 tons, valued at $97 million. The lower-priced fruit from Argentina is not expected to adversely affect U.S. fruit shipments this season. Although marketed year round, the bulk of Argentina’s fresh apples and pears are exported in the months of February through April. Major export markets for Argentina’s fruits are Brazil, the EU, particularly Italy, and the United States.
ITC
to Rule on Antidumping Investigations on Frozen Red Raspberries from Chile
On
June 20, 2002, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will vote on a
final injury determination regarding claims that individually quick frozen (IQF)
red raspberry imports from Chile are being sold in the United States at less
than fair value. On May 21, 2002,
the Department of Commerce (DOC) issued its final determination in the
antidumping duty investigation of individually quick frozen (IQF) red
raspberries from Chile. It found
that IQF red raspberries from Chile were being sold in the United States at less
than fair market value. As a
result, the DOC set antidumping duties ranging from 0.50 to 5.98 percent. In 2001, total U.S. imports of frozen raspberries were valued
at $11 million, of which more than $6 million originated from Chile.
Mexican
Tomato Growers Withdraw from the Suspension Agreement on Imports of Fresh
Tomatoes
On May 31, 2002, the Confederation of the Agricultural Associations of Sinaloa (CAADES), a Mexican tomato grower’s organization, sent a letter to the Department of Commerce (DOC), announcing its decision to withdraw from the agreement established in 1996 suspending the anti-dumping investigation into fresh tomatoes from Mexico, effective July 30, 2002. With this decision, the DOC will reactivate the anti-dumping investigation from the time of the preliminary determination, originally published on November 1, 1996. Customs will require deposits based on the preliminary anti-dumping margins ranging from 4.16 percent to 188.45 percent. This unexpected announcement came as the DOC was in the midst of a “sunset review” of the agreement to determine whether it should be continued. The review began last October and was expected to be completed by October 2002. The original suspension agreement, which ran from November 1, 1996, through November 1, 2001, established a reference price of $0.172 per pound (equivalent to $4.30 for a 25-pound box) for the July 1 to October 23 period; and $0.2108 per pound (equivalent to $5.27 per pound box) for the October 22 to June 30 period).
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