Blue Diamond Growers Applauds Congressional Leaders and Industry Coalition for Facilitating Trade Mitigation Direct Payment for Almonds

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Sep 21, 2018, 14:52 ET

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Diamond Growers, the world's leading non-profit almond processing and marketing cooperative, applauds congressional leaders and the industry coalition led by Almond Alliance of California in securing recognition for the significant contributions of almonds in the state, national and global economy. Majority Leader McCarthy and Chairman Jeff Denham led a bipartisan effort to underscore the critical importance of exports to the almond industry, along with the significant damage being incurred by growers as a result of retaliatory tariffs by key trading partners. The bipartisan group included Chairman Devin Nunes, Congressman David Valadao, Congressman Doug La Malfa, Congressman Jim Costa and Congressman Jimmy Panetta. The two California senators helped as well.

"The mobilization of California's almond growers was a key factor in achieving this positive outcome, demonstrating the strength and coordination of this industry. The almond community is proud of their self-reliance to produce, process, and market almonds successfully and should be equally proud of their advocacy," states CEO Mark Jansen.

As announced today by Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, growers of California almonds are now eligible to apply for direct payments of $.03 per pound as part of the $12 billion mitigation package announced earlier this month. The damage assessment figure assigned to almonds is $63.3 million. Blue Diamond appreciates the efforts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide direct payments to almond growers impacted by the retaliatory tariffs imposed by China and Turkey.

Almonds rank third among all U.S. agricultural production exports with 67% of the crop exported per USDA reports, and with an export value in 2017 of $4.48 billion, ranking number one among U.S. commodities. Accounting for 80% of the world supply, almonds are the number one agricultural export from California, contributing $104 billion to the state economy.

Blue Diamond Growers continues to encourage the President and his trade negotiators to be proactive in securing trade deals that provide new and expanded market access, enabling our growers to continue to successfully market their almonds around the world. This is the help and support most needed by U.S. agriculture.

About Blue Diamond
Blue Diamond Growers, a grower-owned cooperative representing over 3,000 of California's almond growers, is the world's leading almond marketer and processor. Established in 1910, it created the California almond industry and opened world markets for almonds. Blue Diamond is dedicated to delivering the benefits of almonds around the world and does so by providing high-quality almonds, almond ingredients and branded products. Headquartered in Sacramento, the company employs more than 1,500 people throughout its processing plants, receiving stations and gift shops. To learn more about Blue Diamond Growers, visit www.bluediamond.com and follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.