Trading nations face many hurdles as they work to develop global markets for the agricultural products they produce.
In an era of increasing protectionism, a quick take on the business of world trade would likely conclude that politics and domestic concerns stand as the biggest hurdle to gaining access to global agricultural markets.
But that’s not the issue at the top of the trade impediment list for Daniel Whitley, administrator of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service.
In this report from the National Association of Farm Broadcasting Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, Whitley tells RealAgriculture’s Shaun Haney that the acceptance of sound science, including technologies like GMO crops, is still a significant impediment to trade. “Unfortunately, some of our trading partners have yet to come around and understand the true virtues and the safety of some of these technologies,” says Whitley. “Trying to educate our trading partners on these production agricultural practices is one of the biggest challenges we face.”
The Foreign Agricultural Service of the USDA plays a key role in promoting U.S. agricultural products globally. “Our purpose is really quite simple — to help American agriculture sell their products all around the world,” says Whitley. Key tactics include promoting U.S. agricultural products through trade missions, trade shows and reverse buying missions. “We basically hand-hold our producers and exporters and introduce them to buyers and importers all around the world.”
The department employs 1,000 people worldwide with major efforts focusing on key markets including China, Mexico, and Canada. In the report, Whitley and Haney talk science and technology, combating protectionism and the importance of alternative markets like India and Africa, where population growth and dietary shifts present opportunities.
Whitley also shares a U.S. trade perspective on Canada. He acknowledges that dairy and wine disputes, for example, can prove challenging, but a long-standing relationship and open dialogue make Canada a “tremendous trading partner,” he says. Listen to the interview below.
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