The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has determined that Chile and Mexico, while reliable suppliers of raspberries, are not a trade threat to Washington state’s processing sector. The investigation, Raspberries for Processing: Conditions of Competition between U.S. and Foreign Suppliers, with a Focus on Washington State, was requested by the United States Trade Representative in a letter received on April 9, 2020.

Canada’s industry, concentrated mostly in the Abbotsford, British Columbia area, was part of the investigation. While there is a strong business relationship with Washington state, the BC sector poses no competitive threat according to a detailed analysis.  Go to page 131 for the chapter on Canada: https://bit.ly/3x1uzJ5  

Part of the analysis shows that Canada exported $10 million of raspberries to the U.S. in 2020. 

The USITC was asked to investigate processed raspberries, including fresh raspberries that are used as inputs for processed products.  These berries come from both domestic and foreign sources and may be fresh for processing, individually quick frozen (IQF), or non-IQF (block frozen raspberries, purees, and juice products).

The USITC findings include:

• The U.S. processed raspberry industry benefits from mechanization and a high level of vertical integration, while geographic concentration and high production costs limit its competitiveness.

• Chile and Serbia were large U.S. suppliers of IQF products, while Canada and Mexico focused on supplying non-IQF products.

Source:  United States International Trade Commission July 9, 2021 news release