Prices of Grape and Kiwifruit

choi

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waluzz78 today says in Mitbbs.com of prices of Beijing:

"除了衣服吃的也贵。水果除了时令的苹果，桃，西瓜还行，其他的都挺贵的，要说美国盛产橙子所以便宜还说的过去，但有一种猕猴桃叫zespri gold,是新西兰产的，在中国卖7块一个，我今年在北京，上海都见过，可在美国sam's club卖$6一盒14个，大家都是从新西兰进口的，差价这么大就很说明问题了。

-------------------------My observation
(1)
(a) I had some kind of awakening when I came to US (Chicago, to be specific) in fall, 1984 and in the winter that followed I ate grape in cafeteria. It was cheap, and in WINTER!  Americans told me it was imported from Chile.

"The United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA) entered into force on January 1, 2004."
Office of US Trade Representative
http://www.ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements

But at the time (1984) there was no agreement yet. Nor is there one between US and New Zealand.

(b) You talk about 猕猴桃 (which I thought was some kind of peach, because in Taiwan we call Kiwi 奇異果).

(c) Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Import Manual. Animal and Plant Health Inspection (APHIS), Service, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), 2010.
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/downloads/fv.pdf
(does not cover nuts; "Only the approved plant part(s) of the fresh fruits, vegetables, and
herbs is allowed entry")

Chapter 3: Referenceat lists what fruit and vegetables that are allowed into US. At page 155/608 is China:

(i) For arrowhead, see Sagittaria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittaria
(ii) arrowfoot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrowroot
(cultivated for a starch obtained from the rhizomes (rootstock), which is also called arrowroot)
(iii) For dasheen, see taro 芋头
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taro

dasheen (n; perhaps changed from French ( chou ) de Chine  (cabbage) of China)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition 2009, William Collins Sons & Co
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dasheen
(iv) For jicama 豆薯| 凉薯| 沙葛 (in China; I do not know what it is called in Taiwan), see
Pachyrhizus erosus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachyrhizus_erosus
(commonly known as jícama [with Spanish pronunciation])
(v) For udo 土当归, see Aralia cordia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aralia_cordata
(The stem can be eaten and is sometimes boiled and served in miso soup. The roots are sometimes used for herbal medicines)

(d) Renée Johnson, The U.S. Trade Situation for Fruit and Vegetable Products. Congressional Research Service (CRS), Dec 8, 2010.
http://www.nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/crs/RL34468.pdf
(Summary: rising import of fresh and processed fruits and vegetables may result from
"• a relatively open domestic import regime and lower average import tariffs in the
United States, with products from most leading suppliers entering the U.S. dutyfree
or at preferential duty rates;
• increased competition from low-cost or government-subsidized production")

FTA or no FTA, New Zealand, Chile (in early 1985 when I ate grapes), Taiwan and China (president Clinton made permanent in 2000) are, like most nations in the world, all Most Favored Nation (MFN) of United states, enjoying preferentila duty regime.

(e) Kiwi. Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), undated)
http://www.idph.state.ia.us/pickabettersnack/common/pdf/factsheets/kiwi.pdf   
(History; Where Grown: "California is the only state that produces kiwifruit for the United States marketplace.  Most kiwifruit that is imported to the United States comes from Chile and New Zealand.")

* yangtao I see three spellings in simplified Chinese: 羊桃/杨桃/陽桃
* It is surprising that China does not grow any (at last not in the farm). See map in kiwifruit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwi_fruit

(f) Zespri Gold kiwi
(i) The New Zealand Kiwifruit Industry; Putting life into life since 1904. http://www.zesprikiwi.com/history.htm

Quote:

"1904  China sent seeds to the United States that same year; however, USDA horticulturalists had trouble producing fruit in Chico, California, as field trials involved mostly male vines, and both sexes are necessary. U.S. trials were abandoned at that time.

"1970  The first successful California kiwifruit crop was harvested.

"1991  Taste testing took place on an intriguing new gold kiwifruit variety - then called "Hort16A," the new variety was naturally bred from a vine at the Hort Research orchard in Te Puke. The taste and flesh color were so unique that rapid multiplication of the single vine was requested for further evaluation.
Learn how we struck gold

"1997  The NZKMB [New Zealand Kiwifruit Marketing Board] created the "ZESPRI®" brand name for New Zealand kiwifruit and established "ZESPRI International Limited" as its marketing subsidiary.
Learn the meaning of the ZESPRI brand

* Please click "Learn how we struck gold" and "Learn the meaning of the ZESPRI brand" in teh web page.
* zesty (adj): "having or characterized by zest : appealingly piquant or lively <a zesty sauce> <zesty humor>"

zest (n; obsolete French (now zeste), orange or lemon peel (used as flavoring)):
"1: a piece of the peel of a citrus fruit (as an orange or lemon) used as flavoring
2: an enjoyably exciting quality : piquancy <adds zest to the performance>
3: keen enjoyment : relish, gusto <has a zest for living>"
Both definitions ae from www.m-w.com
* If you go to the home page
http://www.zesprikiwi.com
, click "our growers" and you will know the web site is based in New Zealand.

(g) So far California has not been able to grow Zespri Gold. Whether due to legal or technical hurdles, I have no idea.

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