James C. Christie and Shelby Sackett visited Japan and South Korea on behalf of clients April 4-12, 2025.
They met with fruit importers and retailers in advance of the 2025 harvest and export season. The two also visited with USDA agricultural trade officials in both Tokyo and Seoul.
The trip was productive as the trade looks forward to the upcoming marketing season. Major challenges for U.S. fruit exporters include unfavorable exchange rates and growing competition from global products in both Japan and Korea. Market access issues for BCI clients were also on the agenda for meetings with USDA.