Congressman Bill Huizenga is calling on the federal government to negotiate a better deal for blueberry growers seeking to export their products. He’s signed on to a letter from members of Congress representing blueberry growing states urging U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to work with Japanese counterparts to eliminate frozen blueberry tariffs. Huizenga says European and Canadian growers have tariff-free trade with Japan for all forms of blueberries. He notes American blueberry exports in 2021 were worth more than $245 million. He’s supported in his efforts by True Blue Farms in Grand Junction. The farm’s Shelly Hartmann says it’s important to have a strong domestic market and access to export markets for the overall health and competitiveness of the American blueberry industry. In 2021, Michigan produced about 72 million pounds of blueberries across 16,000 acres of farmland. Blueberry farming has an estimated $530 million economic impact in Michigan.
