North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations with Mexico are going “as well as we can possibly expect right now.” That’s from Gregg Doud, the Chief U.S. Agriculture Negotiator, who spoke at the International Sweetener Symposium in Michigan.
The Hagstrom Report says he also mentioned that negotiators “haven’t had market access conversations with Canada of any substance.” He also told the gathering of beet and cane growers who are members of the American Sugar Alliance that, “I think we are going to get there with Mexico in a relatively short order.”
Doud also talked about discussions with Canada, saying the agricultural issues with Canada have been the same for years, which is a veiled reference to their country’s dairy and poultry supply management programs. The negotiations with Canada have been very difficult, with Doud adding that “We’ve got to get to a situation where we can bring Canada on board and wrap this up.”
The Trump Administration wants the negotiations finished by the end of August, so the current Mexican Administration could sign off on the deal.
Source: National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.