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Steel and Aluminum Tariffs a “Hurdle” in USMCA Chats

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Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Gregg Doud confirmed Tuesday that steel and aluminum tariffs are a big hurdle in the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement discussions. “I can tell you there’s not a day that goes by at USTR someone isn’t having a conversation with Canada and Mexico to figure out how to sort this out,” says Doud.

“This is an enormous priority for us. It’s been challenging and it’s taken more time than I think we would have liked in regards to the new administration in Mexico. The election process is evolving in the U.S. and Canada, which makes things challenging as well.”
 

Canada Dry Bean Acres Projected to Decrease

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Statistics Canada released the March preliminary plantings report this past Wednesday. For 2019, dry bean acres are expected to decrease 8.1 percent to 325,000 acres. That’s compared to 353,000 in 2018. Acreage for chickpeas is pegged at 334,000, down 24.5 percent from 443,000 in 2018. Lentils are also anticipated to drop by 9.6 percent to 3.4 million acres, compared to 3.7 million the previous year. A 11.6 percent increase in dry field peas is expected in 2019 to 4.0 million acres. That’s compared to 3.6 million in 2018.