TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The U.S. International Trade Commission will start tracking foreign imports of tart cherry juice and concentrate. Officials say tracking these imports will help them determine the impact on Michigan’s tart cherry industry.

It comes after Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters pushed for more oversight of unfair competition from foreign cherry growers. Michigan grows more than 75% of the nation’s tart cherries, with an annual crop worth $280 million.

The latest move follows a 2020 crackdown after Turkish exporters dumped low-quality dried cherries into the U.S. market to devalue them. A provision in the bipartisan 2018 Farm Bill requires that imports meet the same standards as domestic products.