United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Animal and 

Plant Health 

Inspection 

Service

July 2013

Analysis in Support of Certification that the 

Rule will not have a Significant Economic 

Impact on a Substantial Number of Small 

Entities

Final Rule

2011-0132

RIN 0579-AD62

Importation of Apricots from Continental 

Spain

Policy & Program Development

Policy Analysis & Development
i

Summary

This analysis examines impacts for U.S. small entities of a rule that will allow fresh 

apricot imports from continental Spain. Spain is expected to export at most 10 standard shipping 

containers of fresh apricot per year to the United States. Each container can hold approximately

18 metric tons (MT), thus, fresh apricot imports from Spain may total as much as 180 MT 

annually. This amount is equivalent to about 1 percent of current U.S. consumption.

With U.S. fresh apricot exports four times the quantity imported, and the amount 

expected to be imported from Spain very small in comparison to current U.S. consumption, any

market effects of such a relatively small change in supply will be minor. However, given the 

very small expected overall market impacts associated with this rule, the APHIS Administrator 

has determined that this action will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial 

number of small entities.
ii

Table of Contents

Summary.............................................................................................................................. i

Introduction......................................................................................................................... 1

U.S. Apricot Production and Trade..................................................................................... 1

Potential Impact on Small Entities...................................................................................... 2
1

Introduction 

The analysis examines impacts of a rule that will allow fresh apricot imports from 

continental Spain. The rule will amend 7 CFR 319.56, and is part of a continuing program to 

allow the importation of foreign agricultural products that APHIS has determined are without 

significant risk of introducing exotic plant pests into the United States. This analysis provides 

the basis, as required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act, for certification by the APHIS 

Administrator that the rule will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number 

of small entities. As background, we provide a brief overview of apricot production and trade by 

the United States before describing the expected impact on small entities.

U.S. Apricot Production and Trade

Annual apricot production in the United States averaged about 62,800 metric tons (MT) 

in 2009-2011 (table 1). About 35 percent of utilized production, that is, approximately 22,200 

MT, was consumed as fresh fruit, and the remainder was used in processed form (canned, dried, 

or frozen).

Table 1. U.S. apricot production, 2009 and 2011, metric tons 

Total Production Utilized 

Production

Utilized as Fresh 

Fruit

Fresh as a 

Percentage of 

Utilized 

Production

2009 62,342 62,315 22,834 36.6%

2010 59,312 59,285 21,328 36.0%

2011 66,650 66,620 22,390 33.6%

Three-year 

average

62,768 62,740 22,184 35.4%

Source: USDA NASS, Agricultural Statistics 2011, converted from short tons. Data for 2012 not yet available. 

http://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/results/0DF08566-6DAD-3CCF-8F01-C7D6F50E191F
2

Net exports (exports minus imports) of fresh apricot by the United States over the three 

years, 2010-2012, averaged about 4,800 MT (table 2). The United States exports apricot

primarily to Canada (approximately 80 percent of U.S. exports) and on a lesser scale to Mexico 

(15 percent). The United States imports apricot mainly from Chile (53 percent of U.S. imports) 

and also from Canada and New Zealand (nearly 36 and 7 percent, respectively, in 2012). Annual 

net earnings from trade in fresh apricot by the United States averaged about $9 million for the 

three-year period. Based on the quantities of fresh apricot produced and traded by the United 

States, the quantity consumed domestically in recent years is estimated to be about 17,300 MT. 

Table 2. Quantity (metric tons) and value (dollars) of U.S. exports and imports of fresh apricot, 

2010-2012 

2010 2011 2012 3-Year Average

Quantity

Exports 5,563.6 5,605.2 7,453.7 6,207.5

Imports 1,558.3 1,421.8 1,111.8 1,363.9

Net exports 4,005.3 4,183.4 6,341.9 4,843.5

Value

Exports $11,080,055 $11,180,380 15,205,972 $12,488,802

Imports 4,330,747 2,836,005 3,206,270 3,457,674

Net exports 6,749,308 8,344,375 11,999,702 9,031,128

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, as reported by Global Trade Information Services, Inc.

Potential Impact on Small Entities

Apricot production is included in the North American Industry Classification System 

within other noncitrus fruit farming (NAICS 111339), for which the Small Business 

Administration’s small-entity standard is annual receipts of not more than $750,000. In 2007, 

there were 23,641 operations classified within this NAICS category, and the average value of the 
3

agricultural products sold by these farms was less than $112,000, well below the small-entity

standard.1 We can assume that most if not all apricot farms in the United States are small.

Spain is expected to export at most 10 standard shipping containers of fresh apricot per 

year to the United States. Each container can hold approximately 18 MT, thus fresh apricot 

imports from Spain may total as much as 180 MT annually, an amount equivalent to about 1 

percent of current U.S. consumption.

With U.S. fresh apricot exports four times the total quantity imported from all sources, 

and the amount expected to be imported from Spain very small in comparison to current U.S. 

consumption, any market effects of such a relatively small change in supply will be minor. Most 

if not all apricot farms are small. However, given the very small expected overall market 

impacts associated with this rule, the APHIS Administrator has determined that this action will

not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.

 

1 USDA NASS, 2007 Census of Agriculture, Volume 1, Chapter 1, Table 46. Selected Characteristics of Farms by 

North American Industry Classification System. 

http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_1_US/st99_1_046_046.pdf