President Donald Trump told a crowd in Arizona earlier this week regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement talks that “I don’t think we can make a deal,” putting billions of dollars of agricultural exports in jeopardy. However, Reuters says Mexico and Canada dismissed Trump’s threat, describing it as a negotiating tactic designed to gain an advantage during the negotiation effort.Trump said he believes the U.S. will “end up probably terminating NAFTA at some point.” It’s not the first time the President has threatened to withdraw from NAFTA. In April, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is said to have persuaded the President to renegotiate, rather than terminate the agreement, by emphasizing the importance NAFTA has for agriculture exports. Agriculture groups have coined the phrase “do no harm” when it comes to agricultural trade in the free trade agreement negotiations.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.