US-China trade war expected to hit Washington farmers hard
Aug 6, 2019, 5:52 PM | Updated: 5:53 pm
Washington鈥檚 farmers were dealt another blow this week when China announced it was pulling out of the U.S agriculture market. The move came in response to President Trump鈥檚 plans for the US to impose a 10 percent tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods starting in September.
Neighbors pitch in, harvest crops for sick Washington farmer
Among those most affected by the escalating trade war are the Pacific Northwest鈥檚 cherry farmers who rely on China as their top customer overseas. The Northwest Horticultural Council told approximately $130 million worth of the of the region鈥檚 cherries went to China last year.
Meanwhile, Washington鈥檚 wheat farmers haven鈥檛 had any business from China since the first round of tariffs came down in 2018.
鈥淎t the time they were the fifth largest market,鈥� said Glen Squires, Washington Grain Commission CEO. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not good if you have a major buyer that鈥檚 not buying.鈥�
Squires said 90 percent of Washington鈥檚 wheat is exported. The Philippines is the number one buyer followed by Japan and South Korea. About 75 percent of the crop goes to Asia, according to Squires.
鈥淎nd we were exporting soft white wheat out of the Pacific Northwest (to China) up to 300,000 metric tons so it鈥檚 been a hit,鈥� Squires said.
Nationwide, China made up more than $5.5 billion in U.S. farm product exports last year, according to the U.S. Census. President Trump has tweeted farmers know that 鈥淐hina will not be able to hurt them鈥� because the president has stood with them. The administration has tried to ease the pain for American farmers caught up in the trade war by rolling out two packages of aid worth $27 billion.
