An update to a trade agreement between the U.S. and South Korea won’t change much for the state and local tree fruit industry. But agriculture officials welcomed the Monday announcement, saying it would ensure continued export of Northwest cherries to South Korea.
President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in signed an update to an existing U.S.-South Korea free-trade agreement in New York, where both leaders are attending a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly.
“We’re happy they came to an agreement,” said Kate Woods, vice president of the Northwest Horticultural Council, which represents the region’s tree fruit industry on policy issues, including trade. “We value our duty-free access to the Korean market.”
Trump calls it a “very big deal” and says the new agreement makes significant improvements to reduce the trade deficit between the countries and create new opportunities to export American products to South Korea. He says U.S. automobiles, pharmaceuticals and agricultural products will gain better access to Korean markets.
South Korea continues to be a growth market for Northwest cherries. The Northwest cherry industry, which includes fruit from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Montana, shipped a record 1.21 million 20-pound boxes to South Korea during this year’s harvest, according to figures from Northwest Cherry Growers.
“We feel South Korea will remain a viable and critical market for Northwest cherries,” said B.J. Thurlby, president of Northwest Cherry Growers, which markets cherries on behalf of the five-state growing region.
The new agreement, however, did not resolve existing trade barriers that have prevented shipment of Washington state apples and pears to South Korea. South Korea does not import either fruit, as they do not meet the country’s pest and pathogen regulations.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection service is still working with South Korean officials to resolve that issue, according to Woods.
“That’s something we’ve been working on for decades,” she said.
