Trump and Trade

Trump and Trade

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I'm Bob Larson. Land of the unknown. That's the outlook for many in the ag industry who don't know what to expect from President-elect Donald Trump's administration when it comes to trade.

Washington Apple Commission president Todd Fryhover says it's uncharted territory ...

TODD FRYHOVER ... "We have an incumbent that doesn't really have any trading experience, but certainly doesn't lack the ability to criticize just about everything that's out there under the sun. I guess when you look at it on the surface, and I stress on the surface, it doesn't look good. He's come out against TPP. He's come out suggesting we renegotiate NAFTA. And of course, in the ag industry, trade is everything. We all, whether it's apples, pears or cherries, rely on about 30 percent of our product going to foreign markets. So those two trade pacts alone could have significant impact."

Fryhover says there's hope since Trump has yet to specifically mentioned ag ...

TODD FRYHOVER ... "So I'm going to leave that as, sort of, my olive branch is that maybe he's focused on jobs, specifically manufacturing jobs, and isn't really poised to disrupt any kind of agricultural trade that's going on, whether it's NAFTA or potentially within TPP in the future."

Some are holding out hope after Japan passed the Trans-Pacific Partnership recently and is encouraging Trump to follow suit.

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