VIDALIA, Ga. — While tariffs on Mexico and Canada have been delayed, China issued a retaliatory tariff in response to the 10% duty on Chinese imports that went into effect Tuesday.
With the uncertainty of this latest round of tariffs, some Georgia farmers are facing new challenges.
Delbert Bland, owner of Bland Farms in Glennville, is among the top producers in Georgia.
Grown in only 20 counties in southeast Georgia, Bland Farms is the largest grower, packer, and shipper of Vidalia sweet onions.
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In the Vidalia onions off-season, they grow sweet onions on their farms in Mexico.
“I’ve talked to our onion farmers in Mexico about every two hours,” Bland told Channel 2′s Brittany Kleinpeter.
Bland said not only do they rely heavily on their imports from Mexico, but they also export a lot of their products to Canada.
“We’re trying to figure out what to do and how to react and the main goal we have is keeping our customers supplied,” he added.
Georgia Pecan producers like Lane Southern Orchards have already experienced the toll that tariffs can have.
The Fort Valley Farm’s CEO, Mark Sanchez, said they had to cut back their Chinese exports significantly just a few years ago.
“Up until 2017, China was a very lucrative market for pecans. The tariffs in 2017 threw a wrench into that,” he added.
Economist Tom Smith says while he has hope that leaders will work out an agreement to avoid tariffs, he’s hoping that history doesn’t repeat itself.
“I really hope that no tariffs are put into place because as we saw in 2018, our farmers really took it on the chin. They will see a decrease in the volume of exports, their incomes will drop, and then it puts way too much pressure on an important resource,” Smith explained.
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