Trade

The U.S. ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, announced Sept. 14 that he would step down from his post in early October. After he returns from Beijing to his home state of Iowa, where he served six terms as governor, Branstad is expected to hit the campaign trail for President Trump leading up to November election. When appointed as ambassador in 2016, Branstad was expected to leverage his decades-long relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping. But tensions over trade disputes and the coronavirus pandemic have defined the U.S.-China relationship over the last few years.  In a ... Read More

By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media Industry associations that represent the global trade of plant-based agricultural products called on governments to support the adoption of a digital transmission system for phytosanitary certificates, known as “ePhyto,” to facilitate international agricultural trade. In a Sept. 9 press release, the Industry Advisory Group (IAG) of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) ePhyto Solution, which includes the International Grain Trade Coalition of which NGFA is a member, said that ePhyto is a “globally uniform ... Read More

By Max Fisher, Vice President of Economics and Government Relations The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office (USTR), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and U.S. Department of Commerce jointly announced on Sept. 1 their plan to address imports of seasonal and perishable fruits and vegetables. The main pillar of the plan is for the U.S. International Trade Commission to initiate a Section 201 global safeguard investigation to determine the extent to which increased imports of blueberries have caused serious injury to domestic blueberry growers. A Section 201 investigation for ... Read More

By Max Fisher, Vice President of Economics and Government Relations In a new Aug. 26 report examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on world agricultural trade, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said agricultural trade has fared better than other sectors. The report notes that initial measures focused on guaranteeing the immediate availability of food have been followed by a second phase of policies seeking to mend broken supply chains and help producers cope with the “new normal” situation. While overall merchandise trade fell sharply in the first half of 2020, agricultural and ... Read More

The World Trade Organization (WTO) this week reported that trade in all goods declined to its lowest level since 2007 in the second quarter of 2020 and said a V-shaped rebound “may prove overly optimistic.” During the second quarter, global trade in goods registered a “historic fall,” WTO said, and dipped to the levels seen during the 2008 financial crisis. The “goods trade barometer” published by WTO takes into account recent trends to draw a real-time trajectory of global trade. The report issued this week said the reading at the end of the second quarter in June was 84.5 on a scale ... Read More

The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Secretariat on Aug. 13 published a new informational  note warning of possible increases in trade costs resulting from disruptions precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The WTO report examines the pandemic’s impact on key components of trade costs, particularly those concerning trade policy, travel and transport, and uncertainty created by COVID-19.  It also identifies areas where higher costs may persist, even after the pandemic is contained. Impacts of Trade Policy Barriers and Regulatory Incompatibility: The WTO report stated that trade ... Read More

By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) officially entered into force on July 1, after all three countries had taken the necessary measures to implement the agreement. In a statement issued that day, NGFA said the trade deal is “a model 21st century trade accord that will contribute to growing, robust North American trade and serve as a strong foundation for the next generation of trade agreements.” USMCA replaces the 26-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and its completion seals one of President ... Read More

The NGFA on June 16 joined more than 190 national and state agricultural organizations and companies in reiterating the importance of the U.S.-China Phase One Trade Agreement in a letter to President Trump. NGFA was responsible for generating nearly half of the signatories on the letter, which includes many NGFA Affiliated State and Regional Trade Associations and member companies. “As you know, the U.S.-China Phase One Trade Agreement is critical to both the near- and longer-term success and growth of American agriculture – and the millions of American jobs the agricultural sector ... Read More

By Sarah Gonzalez, Director of Communications and Digital Media After delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. and United Kingdom (UK) formally launched trade deal negotiations on May 5 in an effort to solidify a new partnership between the two economies as the UK exits the European Union. UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer held a video conference call Tuesday to begin a two-week round of negotiations, which will be conducted virtually in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Further rounds will be conducted roughly every ... Read More