Video of fallen fruit in Valley orchard raising concerns amid Trump tariffs

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Experts say the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration could have an impact on the food industry in the Central Valley.

It comes as a video circulating on social media shows an excessive amount of fruit falling from trees in the South Valley.

Manuel Cunha Junior from Nisei Farmers League says when you drive along citrus trees, you'll see fallen fruit because citrus is currently oversaturated.

"The market is pretty heavy right now, with a lot of fruit and warehouses and packing houses, and cold storage, and trying to move that. So they're not picking as fast as much at one time," said Cunha.

Cunha mentions that while the farm worker community is dealing with fear over mass deportations, there's also concern over the sweeping tariffs President Trump imposed last week.

"The markets are going to boom, the stock is going to boom, the country is going to boom, and the rest of the world wants to see if there is any way they can make a deal," Trump said.

Cunha says in some cases, there is less of a demand for our home-grown products, like citrus.

"Those countries are seeing some of that. I think they're holding back to see what's happening," said Cunha.

Citrus Farmer Keith Nilmeier of Nilmeier Family Farms says it's a little too early to know if tariffs will hurt his business.

He believes that in the short term, the tax will hurt our economy and shares the same concerns as Cunha.

"We're not going to be able to move as much as we export. Citrus is one of, a big export commodity, a big expert commodity," said Nilmeier.

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