Members of President Obama's so-call export promotion cabinet say they plan to take steps aimed at achieving the president's goal of doubling U.S. exports in the next five years. The export cabinet, comprising Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, will not wait for a finalized policy or funding from Congress to further Obama's trade expansion goal, said the three.
Following a recent export cabinet meeting with the president, Vilsack said that since the president announced his national export initiative, USDA has taken a look at how it approaches trade from a market standpoint. "And we've seen a 19 percent increase in exports in the first quarter of this calendar year — a little over $37.1 billion of exports," Vilsack said.
Emerging countries are a critical market for agricultural products, especially China , Indonesia , and Korea , Vilsack said. And as a result of the work of the president and USTR Kirk, the United States is reopening pork markets in Russia and China , as well as the poultry market in Russia , which will allow for significant trade opportunities, he said.
"We anticipate as a result of the president's leadership that we'll have the second best year of trade since we began keeping track at USDA," Vilsack said.
Kirk said the president has directed him to work more diligently to bring to closure those issues that will allow him to bring the pending U.S.-South Korean free trade agreement to Congress after Obama visits Korea in December.
"Similarly, we have been engaged in discussions with our partners regarding the pending free trade agreements with Panama and Columbia as well," Kirk said. However, these agreements must protect the rights of workers as well as the environment, he said.
Kirk said that the president has said that no deal is insignificant and no jobs should be left on the table. These agreements are almost entirely to the benefit of U.S. exporters and represent collectively several billions of dollars of opportunities, he said.
