March 23, 2012

USDA leads largest trade mission to China

Nearly 40 American businesses will embark on a USDA trade mission to China during March 23-28, with the aim of helping American businesses strike new deals, strengthen business ties, expand their markets, and support jobs for Americans.

This is the largest USDA trade mission to date, which is timely considering that US agricultural exports to China has grown over 80% in the past three years. Not surprisingly, USDA's largest overseas presence is in China, with seven offices in five cities.

At Chengdu and Shanghai, participants will meet Chinese producers, importers, buyers, distributors and investors. The mission coincides with the Food Ingredients China (FIC) trade show in Shanghai, where Scuse will officiate the opening of the US Pavilion.

"China and the US share a special relationship, and we embrace this opportunity to demonstrate that our US farmers, ranchers, and producers are reliable suppliers of the highest-quality food and agricultural products," said acting under secretary for farm and foreign agricultural services, Michael Scuse.

He added, "At the same time, USDA and our federal partners will continue to aggressively work to expand export opportunities and reduce barriers to trade."

Joining Scuse on the mission are leaders from six state departments of agriculture, including Iowa agriculture secretary Bill Northey, Oklahoma agriculture secretary Jim Reese and representatives from North Carolina, Illinois, Kansas and South Dakota.

In Shanghai, the delegation will be joined by deputy under secretary for farm and foreign agricultural services, Darci Vetter and Ambassador Islam Siddiqui, who is the chief agricultural negotiator for the Office of the US Trade Representative.

Chinese demand for bulk commodities including soy and cotton is high and demand for high-value US products like meat and processed foods continues to grow. Bilateral trade between the US and China in fiscal year 2011 reached an all-time high of US$32.1 billion. US exports to China were US$22.8 billion, while exports from China to the US were US$9.3 billion.

Today, US net farm income is at near record levels while debt has halved since the 1980s. American agriculture supports one in 12 jobs in the US and accounts for 83% of domestic consumption.