Farmers for Free Trade call the framework of a trade agreement between the U.S. and China as a good first step toward ending tensions that have hurt American agriculture. The group applauds the Trump Administration’s focus on supporting U.S. agricultural exports.
However, they do note that there’s still a lot of work to do in order to put a solid agreement in place. Among the things Farmers for Free Trade would like to see happen in negotiations between the two countries, they’d like to see U.S. officials address the non-tariff barriers that have always been a mechanism that China uses to keep American agriculture exports lower than they should be. Farmers for Free Trade also says the U.S. needs to provide farmers with a clear strategy on defusing tensions caused by steel and aluminum tariffs, as well as the North American Free Trade Agreement. The group also wants to see USDA officials at the negotiating table with the U.S. and China, calling them the “experts and advocates” for American agriculture.
The other key aspect Farmers for Free Trade hopes to see from Washington, D.C., is the continued emphasis on opening new markets for American goods. They’d like the focus moved away from old agreements and to reaching new ones instead.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.