Pubdate: Tue, 20 Mar 2001
Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Copyright: 2001 The Sacramento Bee
Contact:  P.O.Box 15779, Sacramento CA 95852
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Author: Michael Doyle

STATE'S ASPARAGUS GROWERS STUNG BY FAR-OFF DRUG WAR

WASHINGTON -- The war on drugs is taking a toll on San Joaquin Valley 
asparagus growers -- in a manner of speaking.

Federal auditors note in a new report that asparagus imports soared 
by 215 percent during the 1990s. Much of this came from Peru, 
benefiting from a trade law designed to wean Andean countries from 
the illegal drug trade.

"If the (trade law) is re-authorized, domestic producers of 
asparagus, and in particular, asparagus for processing, will likely 
face continued displacement," the General Accounting Office noted in 
its new report, "but consumers can expect continued benefits from the 
year-around availability of fresh asparagus."

The report comes as Congress prepares to debate renewal of the Andean 
Trade Preference Act this year. It also comes as San Joaquin Valley 
asparagus producers begin their 2001 harvest and plot their own trade 
strategies.

"We recognize there are certain (trade) agreements that have impacted 
our ability to market," said Cherie Watte, executive director of the 
Stockton-based California Asparagus Commission, but "we are 
aggressively moving to market U.S. asparagus both domestically and 
internationally."

More than half of California's entire asparagus crop is harvested in 
San Joaquin County. Fresno County is the fourth-leading producer of 
asparagus, in a state where the crop is valued at about $133 million 
annually.

With about one-quarter of California's asparagus crop exported, the 
growers are particularly attuned to the vagaries of international 
trade.

Watte herself formerly handled international trade issues for 
Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, when Veneman headed the California 
Department of Food and Agriculture.

Using federal funds from the Agriculture Department's Market Access 
Promotion program, the commission this year plans campaigns in Japan 
and Switzerland, the top two export markets.

"We created the fresh green (asparagus) market a number of years 
ago," Watte said of Switzerland's surprising place as the No. 2 buyer 
of California asparagus. "It's really phenomenal."

In other cases, though, some asparagus growers see danger in trade.

The new GAO report notes that "the industry is seeking to remove 
asparagus from eligibility under the trade act."

This means California lawmakers could face the choice between helping 
Peruvian farmers find alternatives to coca or helping California 
growers fend off foreign competition.

The 10-year-old Andean Trade Preference Act eliminates or reduces 
trade tariffs on certain products from Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and 
Colombia. As a result, imports soared during the decade, from 44 
million pounds in 1990 to 142 million pounds in 1999.

This has displaced between 2 percent and 8 percent of the U.S. crop, 
the report shows, but auditors note the imports have increased 
consumer demand for fresh asparagus.

"U.S. consumers have benefited from (the law) because fresh asparagus 
is now available during the months when it is generally unavailable 
from domestic producers," the GAO reported.

Agriculture Department officials, however, responded that "asparagus 
is not grown in coca regions" in Peru and therefore may not really 
becoming a substitute for the illegal crop.

If so, that would undermine the purpose of the Andean Trade 
Preference Act and give U.S. growers more ammunition if they choose 
to exempt themselves from the act's provisions.
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MAP posted-by: Kirk Bauer