KAILUA-KONA — More than $9 million in fruit and nut exports from Hawaii could be affected by tariffs announced by China earlier this month.
The Chinese government in early April announced tariffs on a slate of products including pork, fruit, nuts and others, according to the Associated Press.
All total, the targeted imports are $3 billion. Farmers in the U.S. sent close to $20 billion worth of goods to China last year, with pork products valued at $1.1 billion. China was the third-largest market for U.S. pork in 2017, according to the Associated Press.
China is Hawaii’s second-largest export partner behind Australia, according to Christine Hirasa, special advisor to the director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
The state exported $124.3 million worth of merchandise to China in 2017 and $340.1 million worth of merchandise to Australia, Hirasa said.
But Hirasa said most of the exports to China consist of products brought to Hawaii from the U.S. mainland before being exported to China.
According to DBEDT data, the largest export category was fuel and oil at more than $62.7 million, followed by aircraft parts at more than $28.1 million.
“The impact might be on the $9.4 million export of fruit and nuts which are likely produced in Hawaii,” Hirasa said.
Unshelled macadamia nuts and fresh papayas — Hawaii Island staples — are both among the state’s top 25 export commodities, ranked 14 and 15 respectively, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Both products are also on a list published by Fortune that details which commodities are targeted for tariffs. That publication cites China’s Ministry of Commerce.
According to the census data, macadamia nut exports were valued at $9 million, in 2017, a 1 percent share of the state’s total exports that year.
Papaya exports, meanwhile, were valued at $7 million, a 0.8 percent share of the state’s exports.
The Census Bureau doesn’t break down the how much of those exports were destined for China.
Hitting the core Trump supporters, farmers in the heartland. The price of futures contracts across the board are falling. Worker shortages in meat processing plants, dairy and poultry industry, and slaughter houses.
No tear shed here. Let them feel in their wallet the bigotry they voted for.
Just like the pain we are feeling here caused by the fine democrats running the show?
We have no democrats here–we have a one party rule because your repubs are rather govern along the dems. Because they don’t have the guts or a plan to build a viable opposition.
We will never recover from the racial divide that Obama created! And will pay for decades because of his lack of business acumen.
That comment COULD be used to declare you mentally incompetent
Racial divide was invented in the USA by white men. And never left.
The phrase may have but Obama locked it down with he and his cronies actions!
Any documented lynchings to support your hideous claim?!
Just when Holder and Obama prejudged people publicly and then when they were found innocent.
Any particular trees with burned bodies to be seen? Nooses, branding, mutilations, castrations, gouged eyes, torture marks on them? Or just Alex Jones sobbing in his mike?!
Your an idiot…while prejudice exists today in this country it is not the same as it was in the 50’s nd 60’s. But I guess that is what happens when we have a poor educational system and they do not teach “actual” history and what happened.
Was waiting for the ‘idiot’ comment when feeling cornered. Just don’t call anything racism that isn’t.
I have never heard of any Hawaii farmers shipping any sort of produce to China . Only one local candy maker , who has long been a prominent hate Bush , hate Trump letter author to WHT , mixing a certain herbal material into sheets of confectionery butter and shipping it to Japan . However it would be a great idea to ship some of our Hawaii Liberal nuts to China . They’d feel right at home in the Peoples Republic . Sayonara
So you never heard. Nor did you read the facts of the story.
Now I see why you support the orange haired baboon!
FAKE NEWS!
Real news. Only an absurd fool would call facts and reality fake!
Thanks Hilo Jacka$$….but those are total export dollars not to China alone. More propaganda. Your the idiot.
LOL. The cry of the uniformed paid Trump/Putin Troll who can barely read the pre printed talking points.
You are the propaganda.
Bought and paid for by Trump/Putin.
Even a 6th grader can point out why ANY tariff has/does/will not work.
You are sorry to say, below the level of intellect to be called an idiot.
You win CornHole Jack…your the best just ask yourself.
Typical. So typical.
So sad. So disgusting that pig pukes of feces like you even breathe.
I hope your performance review goes well for you later on at the Trump/Putin Troll factory but be prepared for that nasty nerve gas.
When and if you ever get a functioning brain that is not warped from religion and delusion maybe we could discuss something
In the meantime keep posting your babble so everyone can see what a feces for brains it is you truly are!
Hahaha your probably right Hilo Crack…..again just ask yourself. No need to get nasty. You need to get out of you Mom’s basement.
LOL
Again the fool speaks his gibberish!
Hahahahaha…..probably tanto. However the best part of you probably ran down your mom’s leg at conception!
Oh my! I bet you think you scored big with your “god” again with that one!
As for you, I can’t imagine why the flies had to be used to conceive you
And then the constitutional right to be aborted was not used.
..
Speachless I see.
What no cut and paste talking points from the Trump/Putin troll factory management?
Oh they must be busy reviewing the “P” tape of the orange haired baboon that Vlad will be releasing soon in retaliation!!!
We need to export all the fruits and nuts we can so we don’t have as many of those people in the State!