Western Growers on Fact-Finding Mission to China

China Travel Services

Delegation to study the impact of Chinese agricultural exports on the US industry

IRVINE - 05/12/05 - Western Growers, one of the largest agricultural trade groups in the US, will lead a delegation of industry representatives on a fact-finding trip to China to evaluate the potential impact of that country's burgeoning agriculture sector on the American fresh produce industry.

The trade mission to China "comes at a critical time as the impact of Chinese exports looms large in the American produce industry," according to a statement from the Orange County, California-headquartered group.

Western Growers' 3,000 member companies grow, pack and ship about 90% of the fresh vegetables and nearly 70% of the fresh fruit and nuts grown in Arizona and California - fully one-half of the nation's total production.

"Specific information on the Chinese produce sector, as well as other segments of Chinese agriculture, is scarce yet vital to the American produce farmers," it said.

The Chinese agricultural sector "is in the midst of a transformation," said Tom Nassif, president of Western Growers who is leading the delegation, which is scheduled to arrive in Beijing this weekend.

"The Chinese fresh produce sector is not just expanding, it is exploding at a fantastic rate," he said. "The implications for our industry are enormous and we hope to further develop the lines of communication with our Chinese counterparts, glean important data, and return with a very accurate picture of the situation and its impact on our industry."

The delegation is scheduled to meet with US officials from the Agricultural Trade Office, as well as the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in addition to other officials from the US embassy in Beijing for an overview of Chinese agriculture.

The group will also tour fresh produce markets and farm regions near Beijing for a first-hand look at Chinese produce operations. While in Beijing, meetings are scheduled with high-level Chinese officials including representatives from the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy and the Institute of Agricultural Economics.

Next week, the group will travel to Shanghai where it will participate in briefings with officials from the USDA's Agricultural Trade Office. Topics up for discussion there will include overviews of fresh produce import and export opportunities as well as commercial activities in China.

The Western Growers representatives will also review airfreight operations and discuss opportunities for US produce in Shanghai retail outlets.

Additional briefings and fact-finding activities are also scheduled throughout the course of the visit, the statement said.

"China is one of the least understood yet potentially most important markets in the world," said Nassif.

"This trip will contribute a great deal to our understanding of the threat as well as opportunities for our industry in this nation," he said. "We expect this initiative to open the lines of communication with China will reap benefits for our members and the fresh produce industry for many years to come."

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam – 05/11/05 – Two-way trade between the US and Vietnam has grown to almost $6 billion since the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) took effect in December 2001; trade and investment potential is considerable, says former USTR Robert Zoellick; but the country must act decisively to address the issues of corruption, intellectual property protection, the rule of law, and economic integration before it can reach its target of WTO accession by the end of the year.

Cal Agriculture Exports to Rely More on Air Cargo

SACRAMENTO – 05/09/05 – Although air cargo currently accounts for a seemingly modest share of the state’s farm export trade, the value of California-grown agricultural exports shipped by air in 2004 totaled $659 million, an increase of nearly 60% since 2000, says the new ''The Role of Air Cargo in California’s Agricultural Export Trade'' report; in particular, California growers of highly perishable, high value-added crops, are coming to see that air cargo ''generally offers the only effective means for exploiting overseas markets.''