Yesterday, a trade agreement between the US and India took effect, allowing the return of Washington as a major exporter to the megamarket. Before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi levied a 20% tariff on US apples in retaliation for duties on steel and aluminum imports imposed by the Trump administration, Washington exported $120 million worth of apples to India every year.
An agreement to rescind duties on trade between the countries was announced in June by President Biden, officially taking effect on Wednesday. Though the development is good news for Washington growers, Tim Kovis, spokesman for the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, said the benefit will not be immediate: "Washington producers won't be able to ship millions of apples to India overnight," he said. "It's not a silver bullet. It will be a long recovery, but its progress."
He said at their peak, Washington apples growers shipped over 800 million boxes of apples to India every year.
Source: news.yahoo.com