Trade
Mexico is accusing the U.S. of playing politics over the GMO corn issue, but NCGA CEO Neil Caskey says if Mexico wants non-GMO, they’ll need to pay a premium for it instead of violating a trade pact already in place.
“In this current situation, the traditional approach to free trade agreements — which isn’t just tariff cuts, but that they do tariff cuts on a fully comprehensive basis — isn’t what we need right now,” Tai says.
A year ago, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine injected uncertainty about global grain supplies into the market. Today, initial concerns have been squashed by the reality of record exports from the Black Sea Region.
The U.S. appears to be pursuing a case via USMCA on the matter: “That is going to happen, because we’re essentially in a circumstance where this is not a situation that lends itself to a compromise,” Vilsack said.
Despite weather trends, planting projections for 2023 find corn, wheat and soybeans similar to 2022, for a combined 228 million acres—a 3% increase from 2022.
Is the Biden Administration’s trade agenda finally making some progress? Farm groups are hopeful after key appointments are confirmed and some recent success stories on the trade front.
Nearly one year after Russia invaded Ukraine, Ukraine’s agriculture is still in severe disarray. The trade flow disruptions contributed to forcing an additional 60 million people into acute food insecurity.
Mexico on Monday announced a new decree, effectively banning imports of GMO corn. Following the declaration, Mexico quickly softened it’s stance after facing backlash from the Biden administration.
While Beijing denies the balloon that flew over the U.S. in early February was a government spy vessel, market analysts warn farmers the situation could ultimately impact export demand down the road.
With the expansion of the U.S. soybean processing industry due to the push for green fuels farmers are looking for a new home for the extra meal...and they’re finding it in Morocco.
The 2018 farm bill was stamped with a $428 billon price tag when passed. With the bill set to expire on Sept. 30, here’s a breakdown of the topics ag groups look to push on the negotiating table.
Mexico’s new decree will indicate that if U.S. GMO corn passes the sanitary filters of the Federal Commission for Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris), it will have no problem entering Mexico.
The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Alexis Taylor for Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. According to Taylor, her priorities include addressing export markets and food insecurity.
“With 90% of corn acreage in the U.S. being planted to biotech seeds and Mexico being the number one purchaser of U.S. corn, I’m concerned this decree is not being met with urgency it deserves,” said Sen. Grassley.
While Mexico wants to reduce its imports of corn by 30% to 40% by 2024, Mexico’s Deputy Ag Minister Victor Suarez told reporters that it cannot replace its imports of U.S. corn for livestock feed.
Reps. Dusty Johnson and Jim Costa on Tuesday introduced the Safer Highways and Increased Performance for Interstate Trucking (SHIP IT) Act to expand the trucking workforce and offer flexibility in times of need.
U.S. officials told Mexico its approach on biotech crops are still “not grounded in science,” and will face a USMCA battle if the matter is not resolved.
If the nation’s debt hits $31.4 trillion—it’s on track to do so by this Thurs.—the Treasury will need to take “extraordinary measures” to help pay the government’s operations and ward off a historic default.
Mexico and Canada had challenged the U.S. method for calculating the regional content required under the USMCA trade pact for cars to have tariff-free access to the U.S.
Export tariffs on aluminum and aluminum alloys will be raised. The current import tariff will stay on seven types of coal until March 31, with tariffs adopted for most favored nations from April 1.
Minister Victor Villalobos said U.S. officials were satisfied with a proposal to delay a ban on the import of GMO corn until 2025, according to a published report.
Government officials asked U.S. Trade Rep. Katherine Tai to capitalize on the success of the USMCA and expand relations in the Western Hemisphere.
The Fertilizer Institute applauded the passage of the legislation, which it dubbed an “integral” component of the fertilizer distribution system.
“We agreed to review their proposal closely and follow up with questions or concerns,” said Tai and Vilsack in a joint statement.
NCGA and presidents of 23 state grower organizations are adding their voices to a growing list who want the Biden administration to deal with Mexico’s coming ban (starting in 2025) on imports of GMO corn.
John Phipps has noticed more unsettling problems for the second-largest nation to the point that despite their skills and accomplishment, he thinks China is heading for trouble. He explains why in John’s World.
Mexican Secretary of Economy Raquel Buenrostro told reporters in Mexico Wednesday the decree to bar imports of GMO crops into Mexico will be pushed back to 2025.
Europeans argue that the act is a beggar-thy-neighbor scheme designed to lure investors away from Europe, just as the region’s economy teeters on the verge of recession.
The top official in charge of China’s COVID-19 response told health officials Wednesday that the country faced a “new stage and mission” in pandemic controls.
Vilsack urged Mexico to “find a way forward” and said that if Mexico’s plans went unchanged, the U.S. government would be forced to consider all options, including legal action under the USMCA.