The federal government will investigate tart cherries coming into the U-S from Turkey.
Local cherry farmers have been urging them to look into the price of Turkish cherries for years.
Many domestic tart cherry farmers say they can’t compete with Turkish imports.
Ben LaCross is a cherry farmer in Leelanau County.
He says growers need to get about 25 cents per pound to break even.
“Since Turkey has really started to dominate our market, we’ve been receiving somewhere between 11 and 15 cents per pound,of cherries.”
Now the U-S International Trade Commission, is investigating how Turkey can sell their cherries for such low prices.
If they find out Turkey is using unfair trade practices, like illegal subsidies, the U-S can place a tariff on them to even out the price.
A final decision on that tariff is expected in the fall.
