Tariff imposed to sell U.S.-owned bananas

The Clinton administration recently announced that it plans to impose a 100-percent tariff on $950 million worth of goods from the European Union.

This retaliatory measure is aimed at forcing the European Union to open up its markets to U.S.-owned banana growers in Latin America.

Such measures could have serious consequences for American producers. If the European Union decides to respond with tariffs of its own, U.S. producers would have to deal with decreased demand.

The European Union, which gives preference to banana-producing former colonies such as Jamaica and Martinique, has been particularly targeted by Chiquita Brands International, a leading U.S. producer of bananas.

The controlling shareholder of Chiquita is also a major political contributor to both political parties, which gives validity to accusations that U.S. actions are more about politics than the integrity of world trade rules.

The United States should consider the health of its trade relations and the welfare of its consumers before engaging in a trade war over such menial premises. We have much more to lose in a trade war than we have to gain giving Europeans cheap bananas.