U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced plans for an extensive international travel agenda aimed at improving market access for American agricultural exports. This move comes at a time when the agricultural trade deficit has reached nearly $50 billion, following a lack of significant international trade activity in previous years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is focusing on diversifying and strengthening global markets while ensuring that current trading partners honor existing agreements.
"President Trump has the backs of our farmers and ranchers," stated 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."
In the coming months, Secretary Rollins will visit Vietnam, Japan, India, Peru, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. This travel plan is part of a broader USDA initiative that also includes trade missions to Hong Kong, the Dominican Republic, Taiwan, Côte d'Ivoire, and Mexico.
India ranks as the sixth largest market for U.S. agricultural products, despite a $1.3 billion trade deficit for the United States. Similarly, the U.S. faces a $7 billion trade deficit with Brazil. In the United Kingdom, American producers encounter high tariffs and limited tariff rate quotas, even though it is the fourteenth largest market for U.S. agricultural exports.
Japan is a major market for U.S. commodities such as corn, beef, pork, wheat, rice, and soybeans. However, the U.S. faces fierce international competition in these segments. In Vietnam, which holds the position as the tenth largest agricultural export market for the U.S., there is currently no trade agreement, which poses challenges compared to other competitors like China.
Peru is noted as the United States' third largest market for agricultural exports in South America, and the U.S. is Peru's second largest supplier. Significant export opportunities to Peru include ethanol, dairy products, meat, tree nuts, and pulses.
Overall, the Secretary's initiative is positioned as an effort to bolster the international presence of U.S. agricultural products and support farmers and ranchers in securing and expanding their export markets.