Washington farm exports hampered by cargo-container shortage
March 10, 2021
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Apples are synonymous with the state of Washington. Some Washington apple orchards cover more than 5,000 acres.Khadija Ruby // Shutterstock
SEATTLE (AP) — Farm exporters in Washington state have been left with stockpiles of product and idle trucks as the pandemic has created a shortage of cargo containers.
Dave Martin, export sales manager for Stemilt Growers in Wenatchee, one of the state's biggest tree-fruit exporters, said the company would ship up to 15 containers of fruit a week to Taiwan before the pandemic. “This week, we will not have a ship,” he said.
The shortage has prompted foreign customers of Stemilt to look to competitors in countries such as Chile, where the apple harvest just started.