Id Ag Trade Agreements

Laura Johnson, marketing director for the Idaho State Department of Agriculture spoke on exports and international trade at the annual commodity conference of the Idaho Farm Bureau, Idaho’s largest general farm organization. She discussed all kinds of exporting issues including who gets what and in what percentages. A large part of that will be impacted by our interactions with foreign nations so she talked about our our trade agreements. “ So the United States is no longer a party to the TPP but at those 11 countries that remain have made an agreement to negotiate without the United States. Our competitors will now have better access to those markets than we will.” Johnson says Asian markets where a lot of commodities produced in Western states are traded, continue a rapid population growth and that is good for Idaho wheat sales. “Naturally, a lot of our product is more competitive, transportation wise, into Asian markets. These growth trends are very favorable for Idaho because when you see the growth in Asia, it is not stopping. Population expansion of nearly 350 million is forecast for the Asian Pacific region between what started in 2010, by 2020.” Idaho has international trade offices in Mexico, Taiwan and China.