A coalition of more than 40 agricultural and food organizations is calling on members of Congress to work with the Obama administration to work out their differences on three pending free trade agreements and approve those pacts as soon as possible.
In a letter to members of Congress, the coalition notes that FTAs with Colombia and Panama were finalized more than three years ago –– and approved in those countries –– but are still awaiting action on Capitol Hill.
The 42 groups that signed on to the letter pointed out that other countries are moving forward with FTAs with Colombia, Panama and South Korea to the detriment of the United States. Canada and Colombia , for example, recently approved a trade deal that gives duty-free access to a host of Canadian products going into the South American nation.
"The fact is, literally hundreds of FTAs are being negotiated around the world, and global trade liberalization is taking place," says the letter. "But it is taking place with the U.S. standing on the sidelines."
They note that exporters of U.S. agricultural products increasingly find themselves at a competitive disadvantage as a result. U.S. feed grain producers, for example, have been particularly hard hit because of the preferential access their foreign competitors have in the Colombian market, with the U.S. market share falling sharply from 96 percent in 2007 to 38 percent in 2009.
Meanwhile, the coalition appears to have allies among House Ways and Means Committee Republicans in their campaign to gain approval of three pending free trade agreements. The House Ways and Means Committee Republican press office issued a statement calling for movement on those three agreements and questioned the steadiness of the rise in U.S. exports.
The minority staff on the House panel said that inaction on agreements with Colombia , Panama , and South Korea has cost the U.S. market access and jobs. The three pacts were negotiated by the Bush administration and have remained stalled in the Democratic-led Congress.
Agriculture exports to Colombia are down 50 percent, the office said, citing a Republican Ways and Means report and highlighting the competition between developed countries to complete free trade deals with developing countries such as Colombia . The report is available in PDF format at this link.
