The US Washington apple industry looks set to enjoy an entire export season to Taiwan this year, thanks to no live codling moth larvae detections, reports Wenatchee World.
Northwest Horticultural Council (NHC) president Christian Schlect told Wenatchee World that since there were no findings after 19 December, it’s likely the industry will successfully complete shipments to Taiwan – its third largest export market - for the fourth season in a row.
Taiwan closed its market to Washington apples for four months in 2004/05 when live larvae were discovered on three separate occasions during the export season. The closure cost the US industry an estimated US$17.7m loss in direct sales, NHC said.
Mr Schlect said the council was working on eliminating the so-called ‘three-strike’ codling-moth rule in Taiwan, or reducing its effect from a total state ban to a localised or company-specific ban.
'I don’t see a conclusion very soon. I think we will be living with three strikes next year,' Mr Schlect told Wenatchee World.
Around 1.5m cartons of Washington apples, worth some US$33m, have been shipped to Taiwan so far this season - the same volume as the prior-year period, Dan Kelly of the Washington Growers Clearing House Association is reported as saying.
