ASA presents plan to double exports by 2015

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The American Soybean Association announced this week key steps it believes will help meet President Obama’s National Export Initiative goal of doubling exports in the next five years. Some of those key steps include approving the pending Free Trade Agreements with Colombia, South Korea and Panama and negotiating new FTAs with countries that have the potential to expand imports of U.S. products - among other things. However – the group says approving the pending deals is the most important step. ASA President Rob Joslin says the rest of the world is moving forward rapidly to expand bilateral trade while the U.S. is at a virtual standstill. He says that must change quickly if the NEI is to have a chance to succeed.

The U.S. has lost market share in Colombia and Panama due to delays in approving the FTAs. U.S. soy and livestock product exports declined 34-percent in Colombia and 6.9-percent in Panama. Joslin says soybeans and soybean products are the most important U.S. export commodity - with export sales exceeding 21-billion dollars last year. Those exports represented more than 50-percent of U.S. soybean production and 21-percent of total U.S. ag exports in 2009.

In order to move forward on the NEI agenda - Joslin says the Administration needs to reach consensus with Congress on the scope of FTAs and the priority of approving the concluded agreements as soon as possible.