Vilsack Talks Trade Part 2. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture.
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack spent a good deal of time last week talking about trade and how trade needs to change in the coming years. He discussed the various types of trade markets including fragile markets and potential growth markets, rapid growth and restricted markets. Vilsack says there is yet a fifth type of trade market to consider.
VILSACK: Finally a focus on developed consumer markets. These are countries where we have a very strong and robust trading opportunity and we have a history of trade. The focus is on higher value products and the reality is that because these are higher value there's stiff competition. SO we have to be out there really aggressively marketing the American brand.
These 5 components are a part of a new system that Vilsack says will allow them to customize their trade efforts to try and increase markets and surplus. One of the crucial markets is China and he says we still have a lot of work to do there.
VILSACK: I think we are going to continue to focus on making sure they don't construct sanitary or phytosanitary rules or regulations that make it difficult for our products to access this market. Continue working with them to make sure that what decisions are made in China are based on sound science. A good example is our work currently underway in trying to reopen the pork market.
That market was closed due more to fear than any sound based science when it came to the H1N1 outbreak. Another broken trade issue that needs some mending is the trucking issue with Mexico.
VILSACK: We're continuing on trying to work on trying to encourage our sister agency, the Department of Transportation to work through the difficulties that are currently inherent in the trucking issues so we can get the tariffs that Mexico has assessed on a number of our ag products lifted. We have a number of issues with Mexico. They are one of our trading partners and I consider all things being equal, a good trading partner. I would anticipate and expect at some point in time this year that I'll probably get to take a trip to Mexico in an effort to try and strengthen that relationship.
Vilsack hopes to see 2010 end up with over $100-billion dollars in trade.
VILSACK: That's the goal and with this new system our hope is that in 5 areas we can break down barriers and reopen markets and hopefully increase our surplus by a couple billion dollars and as I pointed out earlier a couple billion dollars is 18-thousand jobs and it's more resources in the pockets of farmers at a time where that's very important. There's a need to continue to expand markets both domestically and globally in order for our farm families to have a better shot at profitability.
That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.
