Georgia Pecan growers look to increase exports of pecans through the support of the Georgia Congressional Delegation. The delegation, including Representative Rick Allen, Buddy Carter, Sanford Bishop, Lucy McBath, Rich McCormick, Austin Scott, David Scott and Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, urged the US Department of Agriculture to expedite the process of obtaining market access for more Georgia pecans to be sold to India.
The letter stated, “While U.S. pecan exporters are now successfully exporting shelled pecans to India, the product purchasers in India have requested the U.S. to export in-shell pecans, which enables the pecans to travel in a more shelf-stable state and allows buyers to finish processing upon arrival in India. Once the U.S. has submitted the required documents to India, India’s Dried Fruit and Nut Council has elected to advocate to the Indian government for a swift solution.”
With the US exporting $1.3 Million in pecans to India, the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service projects that pecan exports to India could reach up to $5 million annually. In 2023, the Republic of India reduced tariffs on US pecans by 70%.
The letter also included the projection of the overall pecan market to grow to $3.64 billion by 2034 and Georgia producing 28% of the US pecans exported to the world market.
Dale Sandlin reporting for Southeast AgNet