U.S. Cherry Exports to India Set to Significantly Expand

Count cherries as another U.S. commodity that will benefit from recent talks with India. The two countries have agreed to new phytosanitary protocols that will greatly expand U.S. access to the Indian market, according to a report from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

The U.S. sold $600,000 worth of cherries to India in 2021, but sales could reach as high as $5 million annually as a result of the new protocols, says the FAS office in New Delhi.

India also recently finalized an agreement to end a bureaucratic barrier that had prevented the U.S. from shipping pork there. The pork and cherry deals were negotiated and agreed upon in November when U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai attended trade meetings in New Delhi.

EDITOR’S TAKE:

Hooray! Expanding exports, especially for a crop such as cherries, is significant indeed. It’s different than say corn or soybeans where the sale of five million barely moves the meter, but for the cherry industry this is a big deal. So, if you have cherry producers in your area, look for them to hopefully have a better year in 2022 as a result of the increased sales to a new market in India. Now it’s up to Mother Nature to provide the high-quality crop they need!