[quote][i]Originally posted by phillyidol[/i]
<br>Apples from China? Wouldn't it be cheaper for a company in the east (U.S.)to buy here? We have apple farms in Long Island and TONS of them around us. I would think it would be a lot cheaper and easier to buy from us.
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See this site:
www.ncw.wsu.edu/treefruit/aplcrop.html :
"Washington produces about 42% of the apples grown in the United States, and 60% of those grown for fresh consumption.
Bearing apple acreage in Washington is estimated at about 192,000 acres, about 8,000 acres of apple orchards are non-bearing.
During 1997-2001, production averaged about 123,000,000 Bushels, with an average of 86,200,000 packed boxes sold as fresh, and 29,000,000 bushels (boxes) processed yearly. (Bushel = about 44 lbs-20Kg.)
Value of Washington apples as sold as fresh or processed product is estimated at about $1.2 billion yearly.
From 28 to 35 percent of the crop is exported yearly, with major markets in the Asian Pacific Rim, Canada, Mexico, and South America."
So what's going on? Are we selling our apples to China so they can sell them BACK to us??? [:0]
"Man is not a rational animal, he is a rationalizing animal." ~Robert Heinlein