U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins will visit six international markets in her first six months to open new doors for American agricultural exports.
With the agricultural trade deficit nearing $50 billion, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is moving quickly to diversify global markets, strengthen existing ones, and hold trading partners accountable, according to a recent news release.
“President Trump has the backs of our farmers and ranchers,” Rollins said in the release. “USDA remains committed to expanding market access around the world. I am going abroad to sell the bounty of American agriculture and to ensure the prosperity of our hard-working agricultural producers. Everything is on the table to get more markets for our products.”
This year, Secretary Rollins will travel to Vietnam, Japan, India, Peru, Brazil and the United Kingdom. Additional USDA trade missions are planned for Hong Kong, the Dominican Republic, Taiwan, Côte d’Ivoire and Mexico.
India: The United States is India’s sixth largest supplier of agricultural products. The U.S. currently holds a $1.3 billion agricultural trade deficit with the country.
Brazil: The U.S. faces a $7 billion agricultural trade deficit with Brazil.
United Kingdom: The U.K. is the fourteenth largest market for U.S. agricultural exports. American producers face high tariffs and limited tariff rate quota volumes when exporting to the U.K.
Japan: Japan is a top five market for major U.S. commodities including corn, beef, pork, wheat, rice and soybeans. U.S. exporters face strong competition from other countries in these sectors.
Vietnam: The tenth largest market for U.S. agricultural exports. The U.S. has no trade agreement with Vietnam, while countries like China do.
Peru: The third largest market for U.S. ag exports in South America. The U.S. is Peru’s second largest supplier, with growth opportunities in ethanol, dairy, meat, tree nuts and pulses.
