With the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement fully in the works, state and federal lawmakers are looking to other parts of the world to continue growing market access.
Farm country is looking to global trade to build demand. Iowa leads the nation in pork, corn, and egg exports.
The state’s Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig points out that the state of Iowa’s No. 1 and 2 trading partners are Canada and Mexico, which means USMCA matters to Iowa significantly.
Also, Naig says trade with China is making progress even though purchases seem slow.
“Even though the market has been disrupted and we haven’t necessarily seen the purchasing at the level that we hoped to see by now, we know... the work on those other pieces, those non-tariffs pieces, that is progressing and that is on schedule,” he said.
The U.S. also has a food and agriculture agreement with Japan, with the opportunity to pursue a full free trade deal.
Even with a global pandemic, demand for American products continues to grow.
“What’s interesting about this situation is that it’s a global pandemic. Everybody is experiencing some sort of disruption and we’re all anxious for that to return to normal, but we need to remember to look at those global demographics and remember that people around the world need the things that we produce very, very well,” Sec. Naig said.