The United States’ tariffs on Chinese imports spurred the country to impose its own tariffs on American goods in retaliation.
That could impact the country’s status as a top trading partner in Southwest Washington.
In 2024, the ports of Longview, Kalama and Vancouver shipped exports from the three ports included 9.29 million metric tons of corn, 8.54 metric tons of wheat, 7.25 million metric tons of soybeans, according to a Pacific Merchant Shipping Association report issued earlier this year.
Some 31% of those shipments went to China, making the country the top destination for the region’s commodities exports, even if the volume shipped there had fallen 11.2% from the previous year.
Dale Lewis, director of external communications at the Port of Longview, confirmed last week in an email that the port’s marine terminal tenant EGT ships soy products to China, and said, “We have not seen a drastic decrease in traffic here but are tracking it carefully.”
EGT is a joint venture between global food company Bunge, a farmer-owned cooperative called Agtegra and Pan Ocean America, a subsidiary of Korean agricultural trading and logistics business Harim. Trump’s tariff policy comes just as the same time an expansion designed to triple its soybean meal storage capacity was set to go online, according to a release from the summer of 2023.
Washington State Department of Agriculture spokesman Daniel Schafer said in an emailed statement to The Daily News that the agency is “committed to supporting Washington’s agricultural community, including navigating potential impacts from tariffs.”
Schafer said Washington exports a significant portion of its agricultural products, and if key trading partners impose tariffs, it could lead to reduced export volumes, increase costs for producers and potential losses of market share to competitors based in other countries.
He said the organization is working with others in the industry to assess impacts and support solutions.
He added that the agency has an international marketing department available to help farmers and shippers with their tariff-related questions and concerns.
Within the department are representatives with expertise in different international markets to help match buyers of Washington products with sellers.
Schafer encourages growers and shippers to reach out to the department with tariff-related questions or to share with them impacts on their business by visiting agr.wa.gov/international.
