Fighting for Market Access

Fighting for Market Access. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Part of President Obama’s economic proposal has been to trim some excess and some of that is coming from the farming sector. 27 members of Congress are working to make sure a chunk of that money stays put and is available for exports.

HASTINGS: Well that’s a proposal by the Obama Administration to cut the MAP program, Market Access Program in half. I’m working with others on a bipartisan basis to send a letter to the appropriate committees to make sure that that funding is made whole.

Washington Congressman Doc Hastings along with Cathy McMorris-Rogers, Norm Dicks, Jay Insley, Rick Larsen and Dave Reichert, Idaho’s Walt Minnick and Mike Simpson and Oregon’s Greg Walden and David Wu have sent two separate letters outlining the urgency for continued MAP funding.

HASTINGS: That’s been a very important program especially for specialty crops that is predominant crops we grow in our area so hopefully we can get that restored. We’ve got a bi-partisan group of people that are behind this and we’ll go to work on it.

A significant portion of Central Washington’s economy is based on exported agriculture production, and cuts to MAP would have serious consequences for local companies and their employees and Hastings is confused as to why these cuts were made.

HASTINGS: I don’t know why President Obama wanted to reduce the funding other than he felt that was the lesser priority than other programs. I find that ironic because we have  a slowing economy and one of the things the Market Access Program has historically done and proven to have done is to open markets for our specialty crops.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.