China Wants to Export Apples to USA

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — China has its sights set on exporting its fruit to the United States. And growers in Washington, who harvest the bulk of America's apple crop, are OK with it.

It may seem counterintuitive, but growers say opening U.S. borders to Chinese apples means American farmers should able to get a foothold in a lucrative and growing market.

The Chinese consume most of their nation's apple harvest and the expanding market there is particularly attractive to growers in the Northwest, who depend on foreign sales because the U.S. already produces more apples than Americans can eat.

The U.S. Apple Association, a trade group, worries Chinese imports could come with invasive pests that might damage American orchards. But Chinese agricultural officials dismiss that concern.