USDA Chief: Hopes To ‘Break Down Barriers’ To Agriculture Trade

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Wednesday he expects the U.S. agriculture-trade surplus to rise by “several billion dollars” in coming years.

“What we hope to do is break down barriers in five countries that currently are making it difficult for us to trade,” Vilsack told House lawmakers in a hearing.

He didn’t name the five countries.

Some examples of foreign barriers to U.S. farm exports include Russian bans on U.S. chicken and pork, China’s ban on U.S. pork and Japanese restrictions on U.S. beef.

Removing trade barriers, Vilsack said, would help increase “our trade surplus by several billion dollars.”

Last week, USDA Under Secretary Jim Miller said the agricultural trade surplus for fiscal year 2010 is projected to reach $22.5 billion.

Source: CME Group