After weeks of speculation, the U.S. Trade Representative says fees on Chinese-made ships are on the horizon.
Starting in October, the U.S. will charge Chinese-built ships and operators based on cargo volumes. This will not apply to ships arriving at U.S. ports empty or those on shorter trips.
The fee will be $50 per net ton and will increase by $30 each year over the next three years. Leaders at the Ag Transportation Coalition tell AgriPulse the final list of fees is better, but not good enough, warning the cost to ship commodities, like soybeans, could go up.
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“We lost 150,000 farmers and farms in the last four years, a disaster that nobody’s talking about.”
“Farmers want to feed people. They want to keep farming. They’re counting on Congress to live up to its obligations.”
“It keeps the land in ag production and provides our retiring farmers with a viable retirement option.”
