USDA ANNOUNCES FIRST SHIPMENT OF SWEET CHERRIES ARRIVES IN CHINA


                                            Release No. 0197.97
                                                               
                                   Bethany Jones (301) 734-7280
                                          bjones@aphis.usda.gov
                                   Jim Petterson (202) 720-4623
                                            jpetterson@usda.gov


USDA ANNOUNCES FIRST SHIPMENT OF SWEET CHERRIES ARRIVES IN CHINA

     WASHINGTON, June 19, 1997--Michael V. Dunn, U.S. Department of
Agriculture assistant secretary for marketing and regulatory programs has
announced that the first shipment of U.S. sweet cherries from Washington
state will arrive in Shanghai, China, today.

     "China agreed in November to accept sweet cherries from Washington,"
said Dunn, "and, officials of USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service recently finished negotiating the circumstances under which the
first shipment can be exported.

     "Farm exports generate employment, income and purchasing power in both
farm and nonfarm sectors of the U.S. economy," he said.  "The Clinton
Administration has been highly successful in developing and expanding
foreign markets for American food and agricultural products."

     Chinese agricultural officials visited Washington production
facilities in May and are satisfied that the systems approach employed there
will ensure that the sweet cherries will be free of agricultural pests of
concern to China.

     "This is another step in a continuing process of expanding U.S.
agricultural exports to China by eliminating sanitary and phytosanitary
barriers," said Dunn.  "We expect this market will continue to grow and
could be worth about $8 to $12.5 million over the next three to five years. 
Now that the sweet cherry market is opened, we fully expect it to expand
from Washington state to include exports from Idaho, Oregon, and
California."

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