SPOKANE, Wash. — A new tariff on wheat imports announced by China in retaliation for tariffs imposed by the Trump administration has Washington wheat farmers worried.
Washington Grain Commission CEO Greg Squires says exports – especially to countries in Asia – are vital.
“Ninety percent of our wheat produced goes to the export market, so anything that causes our wheat to be more expensive hurts the exports, hurt the producers,” he says.
He says the price of wheat currently doesn’t cover the cost of production and a new tariff would compound the pressure on Washington wheat farmers.
“A twenty-five percent tariff at the export point would add about $1.40 a bushel. And that basically prices you out of the market,” he adds.