Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 9, 2000
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Locke urges Congress to help apple farmers

OLYMPIA - Gov. Gary Locke has urged Washington's congressional delegation to support an agricultural appropriations amendment that would provide an estimated $35 million in assistance to Washington's apple growers.

Congress is considering a $100 million amendment to appropriations legislation that would help growers in Washington and other states who have suffered losses due to poor market and weather conditions.

"Over the past three years, Washington state apple growers have been severely impacted by unfairly priced apple juice concentrate from China, reduced sales to key Asian markets because of the Asian economic crisis, weather-related production problems and continuing problems with trade barriers," Locke wrote the delegation.

He noted that last year Congress appropriated $1.2 billion in crop assistance losses in agricultural relief, but Washington growers received little, if any, of the money.

Approximately 3,000 Washington apple growers could qualify for assistance if Congress passed the appropriation.

"Though not a total answer, that would be a welcome relief measure for many of our struggling producers," Locke wrote.

The governor noted that the U.S. International Trade Commission recently imposed 52 percent duties on Chinese apple juice concentrates to halt China's practice of selling the concentrates in the United States at prices below production costs.

From 1995 to 1998, imports of Chinese apple concentrates increased by 1,200 percent while the price fell 53 percent.

During the period, the price for Washington apple juice fell from $150 per ton to $10.

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