Economic Collapse

[excel]

Cherries for $1 each? They pay that in China and can't get enough of the Washington fruit
by Ryan Yamamoto
Monday, July 24th 2017
http://komonews.com/news/local/cherry-express-bound-for-china-asian-market-devouring-washington-cherries



SEA-TAC AIRPORT -- China loves cherries, and that means big business for Washington state cherry growers and farmers in the Pacific Northwest.
In 2016, the Chinese market devoured 100 million dollars in cherry exports, and Keith Hu of Northwest Cherry Growers Association expects to set a record in 2017.
“Canada is still the No. 1 export market, but the Chinese market is now on par,“ said Hu. “So we could surpass Canada as the largest export market this year.”
Hu says the Asian market will pay a premium for the best cherries – the kind of cherries you will only find in high end specialty stores in the United States.
“The size of those cherries almost slight smaller than a golf ball, and those can go for $10 to $12 a pound, almost a dollar a piece,” said Hu.
On Monday, the "Cherry Express" Boeing 777 landed at Sea-Tac Airport and was loaded 220,000 pounds of cherries bound for China.
Currently, the only cherry exports China receives is from the Northwest. The majority is shipped through Port of Seattle, which is responsible for shipping 40 million pounds internationally. That's a 10 million pound increase from 2015.
“The market is growing,” said Port Commissioner Stephanie Bowman. “And this is how the Port of Seattle connects Washington farmers with global markets.