Washington agriculture officials welcome news of Mexico trade accord

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After months of uncertainty about global markets, Washington state agriculture officials welcomed news this week that the United States had reached a preliminary agreement with Mexico, which is the largest importer of Washington-grown apples.

The accord would replace the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement with a new deal that could encourage more manufacturing in the U.S.

However, the new pact called “the United States-Mexico Trade Agreement” does not include Canada, which is part of NAFTA, and the new accord must be ratified by lawmakers in both countries.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture called the agreement a positive development, though officials say there seems to be a lot of work to do, not just with Mexico, but with Canada and the tariff issues with China.

The Washington Apple Commission says local producers have shipped about 13 million bushels of apples to Mexico this season, and continue to do so, even with a 20 percent tariff due to the retaliation for the steel and aluminum tariffs.

The uncertainty about foreign markets has been particularly hard on Washington agriculture, which relies on foreign markets that have been disrupted by the brewing trade war, especially growers of apples, cherries, and wheat. (Spokesman-Review)

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