Undersecretary talks exports in northwest visit

Farm and Ranch August 26, 2010 Exports was the focus of a presentation USDA Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services, Darci Vetter, made in Boise, Idaho yesterday. In a telephone interview Vetter noted that the USDA is forecasting fiscal year 2010 U.S. agricultural exports to be the second highest on record at 104.5 billion dollars.

President Obama’s National Export Initiative has a goal of doubling U.S. exports overall in the next five years. Undersecretary Vetter says USDA’s efforts to do that for agricultural exports are focused on a number of areas.

Vetter: “First of all they are focused on negotiating new agreements with other countries. We are still actively engaged in the Doha Round of trade negotiations with the WTO. We have launched new negotiations with seven Asian-Pacific nations with the Trans-Pacific Partnership and we are hoping to push through the pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea, all of which will provide new market access for U.S. producers.”

Vetter responds to the criticism that the Administration talks a lot about boosting exports but there has been little action.

Vetter: “These are tricky issues. If they were easy we would have resolved them already. Because of that I think it does take a significant focus of time and energy and we are in fact focused on finding a way forward.”

Vetter says the Administration has made a commitment to get the South Korean Free Trade Agreement to Congress this fall. She says labor and tax issues remain hurdles for the Colombia and Panama agreements.

I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.