House Dem Asks for Investigation of Peruvian Blueberry Exports
Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., is asking the House Ways and Means chairman to direct the International Trade Commission to conduct a fact-finding investigation on the economic impacts of Peruvian blueberry exports on American blueberry growers.
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If the ITC did do such an investigation, it would report its findings on how the imports affect domestic production, but would make no policy recommendation.
Scholten wrote, "[O]ur agricultural communities continue to face competition from cheap Peruvian blueberry imports flooding the market and suffocating American blueberries. ... Foreign nations are undercutting our domestic producers and the U.S. agricultural market as they increasingly struggle with seasonal imports during their harvest season."
She said that inflation-adjusted prices for U.S. blueberries have fallen more than 70% over the last 20 years, with the biggest drop after 2017, "when Peruvian exports began to dominate the market."
The ITC ruled unanimously in 2021 that there is no injury or threat of serious injury to domestic blueberry growers from an increase in imports (see 2102110060). The first Trump administration had sought safeguard tariffs on blueberries.