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| Horticultural & Tropical Products Division | Return to the H&TP Home Page |
October 4, 2002
U.S. Pistachio Production in 2002 is Expected
to Reach Record Level
According to the latest estimate from the California Agricultural Statistics Service (CASS), the state is set to produce a bumper crop of 127,008 metric tons of pistachios in 2002. Growers claim that the crop is the best quality they have ever seen at this stage of the harvest. The outlook for marketing the record volume is bright due to continued strong global demand, a lack of carryover into 2002 and possibly into 2003, and because of the crop’s overall high quality. In calendar year 2001, the United States exported 33,211 tons of pistachios, with an associated value of approximately $109 million. China, Belgium, and Germany were the top three export destinations in 2001, purchasing around 50 percent of the total export quantity with a value of $46.5 million. Markets in Europe, China, Japan, and Canada continue to grow at a rapid rate.
Commerce
Department Seeks Public Comment On Chinese Apple Juice Antidumping Duties
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA) has requested public comments for its first annual review of the antidumping order against apple juice concentrate from China. The request follows a July 2002 preliminary determination by the department, which proposed to eliminate the 51.74 percent antidumping duties on imported apple juice for 10 Chinese producers. During the first administrative review of the antidumping decision, the ITA changed the method of calculating the cost of production of apple juice concentrate in India, which was used as a surrogate market economy for China. ITA has invited comments by October 31, 2002, on whether the Indian juice apple price used was correct or if another country should be use as a surrogate. In May 2000, the United States began applying antidumping duties of up to 51.74 percent on Chinese concentrate apple juice, following a finding that Chinese concentrate was sold in the U.S. market at prices below production costs, causing economic harm to U.S. concentrate producers. Following the initiation of the dumping investigation, imports from China dipped, but they have rebounded to levels exceeding the pre-dumping case levels. In fact, apple juice from China remains among the lowest-priced options for U.S. importers, with that country supplying over 16 percent of the total volume imported in calendar year 2001. Other leading suppliers to the United States include Argentina, Chile, and Germany. In 2001, the volume of U.S. imports of Chinese apple juice increased 13 percent to 215 million liters, while the associated value fell 12 percent to $33 million.
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