May 6, 2021 — On Wednesday, a bipartisan letter was sent to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai calling for the USTR to work with members of Congress to implement immediate trade relief measures for U.S. producers of seasonal and perishable fruits and vegetables.
The letter was led by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart, Darren Soto, Austin Scott, Bill Huizenga, and Al Lawson, and signed by 39 congressional members from Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Washington.
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association BB #:153753 issued the following statement in support of this action:
“FFVA is pleased that members of the Florida congressional delegation have shown such strong support in seeking trade relief for Florida growers. The May 5, 2021, bipartisan letter is a positive step in our ongoing efforts to restore market fairness.
For decades, unfair foreign trade practices have continued to cause immense harm to Florida’s specialty crop producers. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of a timely, viable solution to help solve this growing threat to our industry.
FFVA is encouraged by ongoing conversations with the USTR and looks forward to continued coordination with the USTR and elected officials to solve this longstanding problem once and for all.”
