(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, Brian Kuehl, Executive Director of Farmers for Free Trade, the nation’s leading agriculture trade advocacy group, released the following statement after the Biden Administration formally launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) with Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
“American farmers have long looked to the Indo-Pacific as an essential market for growing American food and ag exports. As the populations in the region grow in numbers and prosperity, they look to American farmers for protein, high-quality produce, and other food and ag products. To take advantage of this generational opportunity, we need to knock down barriers to trade and position ourselves as a viable alternative to Chinese dominance in the region. Farmers continue to feel the sting of recent American trade policy that has erected rather than reduced trade barriers – both with the withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and a barrage of tariffs that have targeted farmers over the past four years.
“The Indo Pacific Economic Framework is a laudable first step to reengaging in the region. However, it will be essential that the Administration articulate how an agreement that does not currently include tariff reduction will provide new market access and economic opportunities for farmers. As negotiations progress, we encourage the Administration to speak directly to farmers, food producers, and rural Americans about how IPEF can directly benefit them. Opening engagement in the Indo-Pacific region is a positive sign, closing out an agreement that gives American farmers expanded market access must be the goal.”
