U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, announced a plan to visit six international markets over the next six months to expand and diversify markets for American agricultural exports. This initiative comes amid an agricultural trade deficit nearing $50 billion, attributed to insufficient international market engagement in previous years. The USDA aims to broaden global market access, reinforce existing relationships, and ensure trading partners fulfill their trade agreements.
"President Trump has the backs of our farmers and ranchers," said Secretary Rollins. "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."
The countries scheduled for Secretary Rollins’ visits include Vietnam, Japan, India, Peru, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. Additionally, the USDA will conduct trade missions in Hong Kong, the Dominican Republic, Taiwan, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mexico.
In India, currently the U.S.’s sixth-largest supplier of agricultural products, a $1.3 billion trade deficit remains a concern. Brazil presents a larger challenge with a $7 billion trade deficit. The United Kingdom, the U.S.’s fourteenth largest agricultural export market, imposes high tariffs and limited quota volumes on American goods.
Japan remains a crucial market for American commodities like corn, beef, pork, wheat, rice, and soybeans, though U.S. producers face stiff competition there. In Vietnam, the tenth largest market for U.S. exports, no formal trade agreement exists, placing the U.S. at a disadvantage compared to competitors like China.
Peru ranks as the United States’ third-largest market in South America, with promising opportunities for U.S. exports in ethanol, dairy products, meat, nuts, and pulses.
