USDA Secretary Rollins Set for ‘Aggressive’ International Trade Travel Schedule

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins says she will visit six international markets in her first six months as Secretary to expand markets and boost American agricultural exports.

This year, Secretary Rollins will visit Vietnam, Japan, India, Peru, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. Other USDA Trade Missions include 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. has a $1.3 billion trade deficit with India.

Brazil: The United States has a $7 billion trade deficit with Brazil.

United Kingdom: The UK is the United States’ fourteenth largest agricultural export market. U.S. producers face disproportionately high tariffs and small tariff rate quota volumes when exporting to the UK.

Japan: Japan is a top five market for many key U.S. commodities, including corn, beef, pork, wheat, rice, and soybeans. The U.S., however, faces competition from other countries in many of these markets.

Vietnam: Vietnam is the United States’ tenth largest agricultural export market. The U.S. has no trade agreement with Vietnam while major competitors like China do.

Peru: Peru is the United States’ third largest market for agricultural exports in South America, and the U.S. remains Peru’s second largest agricultural supplier. Key prospects for U.S. agricultural exports to Peru include ethanol, dairy products, meat, tree nuts, and pulses.

“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,” said Secretary Rollins.

Source: USDA