Opportunities for ag trade in two South American nations.
“We had a great trade mission, one of our rapid-response trunk missions, to first Argentina and then to Ecuador, both of which signed agreements on reciprocal trade with us, eliminating significant trade barriers, reducing tariffs as well for U.S. producers to get their products into those two markets.”
Agriculture Department Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg on the early June trade reciprocity for U.S. manufacturers and producers’ mission. He notes despite being in the same region, both markets are unique and, as such, present various opportunities for U.S. farm and food exports.
“The Argentine market is both a competitor and a partner of ours. And we compete certainly on things like soybean meal exports all around the world. But the Argentines also look at the world similarly in terms of how we have a scientific basis for production agriculture. So we had some very productive conversations about ways we can work together, but also the agriculture associations, the cooperators, the agribusinesses that joined us on this mission. We’re looking to take advantage of some of these significant reductions in tariffs and other things negotiated into the agreement with Argentina.”
So, in terms of opportunities for our nation’s ag exports in Argentina?
“Argentina is the largest per-capita consumer of meat products in the world. And so we certainly want to be able to sell those products down to Argentina as part of this agreement and look forward to those opportunities. Also, they’re tearing down some of their historic facility-registration requirements that have hurt U.S. dairy exporters, for example, quite significantly. Significantly. It’s our tree nuts. Folks were down there with us also, and some of our livestock genetic exporters. We had a visit to a local ranch down there that’s importing horse genetics from the United States. It’s a great business for some of our horse breeders here in the United States.”
As for the potential of Ecuador’s marketplace for American ag exports …
“A lot more complementarity with Ecuador. We have certainly different markets. They produce things like citrus fruits, which we produce as well. Different seasons there. But they produce things like coffee and cocoa beans that we don’t often produce in the United States. Bananas being another big one there in Ecuador. And so we had some great conversations about ways we can work together to make sure that the bounty of both of our country’s harvests find their way to the other country’s consumers, their cutting tables.”