Mexico begins antidumping investigation on apples

10/12/2014 12:00 - 496 Views

Mexico has begun an anti-dumping investigation on U.S. apples, and apple industry leaders are collecting data to refute the charge.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that Mexico announced the start of the antidumping duty investigation on U.S. apples Dec. 4.

Chris Schlect, president of the Northwest Horticultural Council, Yakima, Wash., said the anti-dumping investigation won’t create any immediate barriers to exporting apples to Mexico but does require complicated and costly efforts to compile information related to the investigation.

Mexico is the leading importer of U.S. apples, with sales from September 2013 to October 2014 at $257 million, compared with $204 million in exports to Canada for the same time period.

According to the notice from Mexico, interested parties will have until Jan. 16 to submit responses containing information and arguments for consideration by Economía’s Unidad de Prácticas Comerciales Internacionales, the branch of Mexican government that investigates international trade practices.

The time period for the investigation is Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of 2013, according to the Mexican notice, and all apple varieties are included in the investigation.

The investigation was started in response to a petition submitted to the government by the Unión Agrícola Regional de Fruticultores del Estado de Chihuahua, a fruit growers’ group in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico.

“Right now there is a time frame where we have to submit data that is requested and that effort is being led by the Northwest Fruit Exporters,” said Todd Fryhover, president of the Wenatchee, Wash.-based Washington Apple Commission,

“The industry has their head down and hopefully submitting all their data by the end of January,” he said.

Source: thepacker.com