United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Animal and 

Plant Health 

Inspection 

Service

March 2012

Analysis in Support of Certification that the 

Rule will not have a Significant Economic 

Impact on a Substantial Number of Small 

Entities

Proposed 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 would 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 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 slight in comparison to current U.S. consumption, any

market effects of such a relatively small change in supply would be minor. Although most if not 

all apricot farms are small, given these circumstances the APHIS Administrator has determined 

that this action, if promulgated, 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 

This analysis provides the basis, as required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act, for 

certification by the APHIS Administrator that the proposed rule, if promulgated, will not have a 

significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. The analysis examines 

impacts of a rule that would allow fresh apricot imports from continental Spain. The rule would 

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. 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

Apricot production in the United States averaged over 60,800 metric tons (MT) in 2009 

and 2010 (table 1). About 36 percent of utilized production, that is, approximately 22,100 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 2010, metric tons 

Total Production Utilized 

Production

Utilized as Fresh 

Fruit

Fresh as a 

Percentage of 

Utilized 

Production

2009 62,342.4 62,315.2 22,834.1 36.6%

2010 59,312.3 59,285.1 21,328.1 36.0%

Two-year 

average

60,827.4 60,800.1 22,081.1 36.3%

Source: USDA NASS, Agricultural Statistics 2011, Table 5-12, converted from short tons. 

http://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Ag_Statistics/2011/Chapter05.pdf 
2

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

years, 2009-2011, averaged about 4,000 MT (table 2). The United States exports apricot to a 

number of countries, but primarily to Canada (85 to 90 percent of U.S. exports) and on a lesser

scale to Mexico (10 percent). The United States imports apricot mainly from Chile (75 to 85 

percent of U.S. imports) and also from Turkey and New Zealand (nearly 12 and 9 percent, 

respectively, in 2011). Annual net earnings from trade in fresh apricot by the United States 

averaged about $7.4 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 18,100 MT. 

 

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

2009-2011 

2009 2010 2011 3-Year Average

Quantity

Exports 4,908.7 5,563.6 5,605.2 5,359.2

Imports 1,105.5 1,558.3 1,421.8 1,361.9

Net exports 3,803.2 4,005.3 4,183.4 3,997.3

Value

Exports $9,616,594 $11,080,055 $11,180,380 $10,625,676

Imports 2,615,323 4,330,747 2,836,005 3,260,692

Net exports 7,001,271 6,749,308 8,344,375 7,364,984

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 quantity imported, and the amount 

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

market effects of such a relatively small change in supply would be minor. Although most if not 

all apricot farms are small, given these circumstances the APHIS Administrator has determined 

that this action, if promulgated, 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