The Fruit Growers News - November 2001


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Eastern Apple Producers Pursue Central American Exports

Central American importers visit apple producing regions

By Greg Brown Associate Editor

As part of the USApple Export Council activities, 10 Central Americans representing fruit importers and retailers in Central America visited Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania recently to learn more about the apple available from growers there. The Michigan Apple Committee (MAC) hosted the importers for a day, visiting a packing facility and apple orchard. Mark Arney, executive director of MAC, called the tour a success because it allowed the importers to see the quality of fruit grown on Michigan trees. Arney told tour participants that the necessary red tape would take two years to clear up, but the dialog process had begun with the Mexican Consul in Detroit and with officials in Mexico. The visitors took a tour of Bruce Rasch’s apple farm in Sparta, Mich. and asked questions about variety availability, color quality and fruit size. The tour members also toured Michigan Apple Packer’s facility and met with shippers and packers. Luis Moreno said he is optimistic about the opportunity for Michigan apples in Mexico. Moreno, the Export Council’s representative with Mexico’s Grupo PM public relations, said there is a possible demand for at least 500,000 more boxes of apples imported into Mexico alone. Moreno, who helped coordinate the tour, said the Central American market has room for more importers. Both Arney and Moreno acknowledged the past difficulties that the Eastern states have had establishing an export protocol to Mexico. Arney said MAC met with some preliminary success in its recent meeting with Mexican trade representatives. MAC and Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB) were among individuals who talked to Eleazar Benjamin Ruiz Y Avila, the Detroit- based consul of Mexico, recently about ways to open Mexican markets to Michigan apples. Michigan Sen. Valde Garcia hosted the meeting, which was also attended by Sen. George McManus and representatives from the Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan State University, MAC and Kropf Fruit Company. According to MFB staff, the Mexican Consul was very receptive to the group’s request to develop workable regulations that will enable Michigan’s apple industry to sell to the Mexican market. Farm Bureau’s Ken Nye reported that the consul made several comments in meeting that he is supportive of trying to facilitate the movement of apples from the Eastern U.S. to Mexico. “He has been made aware in general of what the problem is in preventing the apples from entering his country,” said Nye. “He said he has had communication with Mexican representatives telling them of our desire in Michigan to serve that market.” But there are issues that the Mexican administration considers more important when it comes to trade. “Other trade issues need to get resolved so we can get our apple problem taken care of,” said Nye. The consul said that he had concerns that he wanted to voice to us about expanding Mexican trade in the United States. “They are ready to be serious about this problem to provide some workable protocol that is affordable and that will protect the Mexican interests and allow imports at the same time,” said Nye. But issues like Mexican truck access to American roads is one issue that need to be dealt with in some fashion before we have any success in our apple programs, said Nye. When that issue is addressed and others, growers need to be ready to reach out to our government and the Mexican government. The hold up on the apple export issue has traditionally been that the industry needs to be prepared to encourage and develop the protocols that would allow us to serve that market. The government needs to solve some of the trade issues that don’t have anything to do with the apple industry. “It is a bit frustrating when you’ve got issues like this,” said Nye. “The apple industry is important in the grand scheme of things here and for other eastern states, but it is a fairly small issue in the trade relationship between Mexico and the United States. “A much bigger issue mentioned by the consul is the government’s failure to allow Mexican trucks into the United States, which is in direct violation of the NAFTA. That may not even be the biggest issue holding up expanded trade with our neighbor to the south,” Nye said. Despite the roadblocks MFB and representatives from the Michigan apple industry continue to explore ways to ensure Michigan’s access to Mexico - the nation’s largest apple export market. MFB’s Agricultural Trade Issues and Policy Study Tour recently returned from Mexico with insights into that country’s agriculture system. As the majority of Mexican consumers see an improvement in their discretionary income, opportunities for non-subsistence food products will emerge. That would be beneficial since value-added, upscale food products in Mexican supermarkets tend to originate in the United States.