With the holiday season nearly upon us, AWB President Don Brunell gives thanks to America's food producers, a group that leads one of the few bright spots in a persistently glum economy.
America's agricultural exports reached a record $127 billion this year and they are expected to grow another $2.3 billion in 2012, Brunell writes.
The sector got another shot in the arm last month, too, when Congress ratified new free trade agreements with South Korea, Columbia and Panama. Tariffs and trade barriers will fall as a result, and Washington state stands to be one of the biggest beneficiaries.
The trade agreement immediately wipes out a 24 percent tariff South Korea imposed on Washington cherries, reducing prices by 75 cents per pound.
It also phases out South Korea's 45 percent tariff on most apple varieties over the next 10 years and immediately eliminates that nation's 18 percent tariff on frozen potatoes.
"So while our nation and state struggle with record budget shortfalls and a skyrocketing federal deficit, it is good to start this year's holiday season with some good news," Brunell writes.
