Trade and Tariffs Pt 2
From the Ag Information Network, this is today’s Fruit Grower Report. Efforts to get U.S. trade back on solid ground is a big part of where the President’s controversial tariffs come into play.
The administration’s rationale is that we’ve worked at a big
deficit for far too long.
National Association of Departments of Agriculture CEO, Ted McKinney says with a solid understanding of agriculture, that’s where U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer can be a great help with negotiations …
McKINNEY … “And he has been insistent that it include ag, which oftentimes countries try to avoid, and it must include non-tariff trade barriers, including ag.”
McKinney says the bumpy ride between the challenges we’ve been experiencing and having more balanced trade will be a challenge …
McKINNEY … “Clearly, negotiations cannot be a highly public thing. So, if they come forward, as we hope they are, and they will, then I think we're going to be better off recognizing that we're having this bumpy period, there's no doubt, and the President told us that. We hope to get past this.”
And from everything that he’s hearing, McKinney says, he believes we are heading in that direction …
McKINNEY … “I hear that negotiations are occurring with China. We want some element of that market. I think we can get there, but it's all under wraps, and so hang on, and then we can talk again.”
McKinney was the USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs during the first Trump administration.
