America’s Nut is big business in pecan-loving China, and now it’s about to get bigger. Officials in China plan to reduce the country’s import tariff on in-shell and shelled pecans by a whopping 14 percent, from 24 percent to 10 percent. The move will put pecans in a very competitive place and have a significant positive impact on the value of pecans in the United States.
The news was welcomed by the Georgia Pecan Commission, the Georgia Pecan Growers Association, the National Pecan Growers Council and the National Pecan Growers Association. Georgia exports more than75 percent of its total production to China each year, and those pecans have a gross value of production estimated at more than $150 million.
Congressman Sanford D. Bishop (D-Ga.), whose district is the largest pecan-producing congressional district in the nation, was instrumental in the tariff negotiations with China. He hosted representatives from the China Nut Roasters Association in Georgia last summer to discuss pecan trade issues.
Bishop is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Co-Chairman of the Congressional Peanut Caucus. In 2012, pecan production in his district was 100 million pounds.
“With lower import tariff rates, the boost of trade to China will bring jobs and revenue right back home to middle and southwest Georgia,” he said in a press release.
With lower import tariff rates, the boost of trade to China will bring jobs and revenue right back home to middle and southwest Georgia,
One of the largest markets for Georgia pecan growers is China, where pecans are referred to as the “longevity nut,” and are often sold roasted after being infused with flavors such as teriyaki or wasabi.