Vietnam Trade Mission aims to create American jobs and opportunites for U.S. ag
Washington Ag Today September 23, 2011 Fifteen U.S. companies, including one with operations in Washington, are joining the USDA on its first trade mission to Vietnam. ACX Pacific Northwest, with a hay export operation in Ellensburg, will be represented on next week’s mission being led by Acting Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse. The Acting Undersecretary says Vietnam has one of the fastest growing economies and trade between it and the U.S has been rapidly growing. Scuse: “In 2006 they were 49th largest market and in 2010 they are now our 15th largest market. So trade is increasing dramatically.” Scuse will help open the USA Pavilion with 28 exhibitors at Food and Hotel Vietnam, one of Southeast Asia’s premier food trade shows. There will also be meetings with Vietnamese officials. Scuse: “To address some of the issues that we are facing getting some of our agricultural products into Vietnam and look at ways that we can increase trade between the two countries by talking government to government.” USDA recently forecast record U.S. agricultural exports for 2011 and 2012 of 137 billion dollars each year and Scuse says for each one billion dollars in trade about 84-hundred jobs are supported in the United States. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on Northwest Aginfo Net. ?
