Tai Testifies
On Thursday, U.S. Trade Representative-nominee Katherine Tai told the Senate Finance Committee that, if confirmed, a top priority will be implementing and enforcing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. “For the enforcement side on the USMCA I talked about in my opening statement. It’s about caring and nurturing the agreements we have to make sure they deliver […]
Coalition Asks Pres. Biden to Improves Relations with Cuba
The United States Agriculture Coalition for Cuba is asking the Biden Administration to improve relations between the U.S. and Cuba. In a letter to President Biden, the group said the current sanctions “hurt the Cuban people.” Normalized trade relations are also touted as an opportunity for U.S. farmers. The letter was signed by more than […]
USDA, USTR Name Agricultural Trade Advisors
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer have announced the appointment of 67 members to serve on seven agricultural trade advisory committees. The Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee is comprised of senior representatives from across the U.S. agricultural community who provide advice to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the […]
U.S. Imposes Tariffs, Canada Retaliates
The Trump Administration has placed tariffs on certain types of aluminum from Canada. This decision comes about a month after the implementation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the tariffs are “unwarranted and unacceptable.” The Canadian government plans to impose $3.6 billion in retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. Over […]
USMCA Enters into Full Force
On July 1, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) entered into force, replacing the decades-old NAFTA. USMCA was signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on January 29 after it received overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress. USMCA advances U.S. agricultural interests in two of the most important markets for American farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses. […]
Global Uptick in Pesticide/Herbicide Restrictions Could Disrupt Trade
The U.S. Dry Bean Council (USDBC) is keeping a close eye on the changing regulatory environment governing the import of different pesticide/herbicide products. This is an issue that has been brewing for some time but recent health concerns are increasingly translating into import bans on the products themselves and the announcement or notification of intent to […]
USDBC Response to COVID-19
The U.S. Dry Bean Council is up and fully operational during this challenging time for the country and for the entire world. All global events are canceled through the end of May and possibly longer, as the USDBC reevaluates in accordance with global standards and recommendations. U.S. and global staff are all working full […]
Dry Bean Marketing Opportunities in Chile
The U.S. Dry Bean Council conducted a market scoping trip to Chile in December 2019 to study recent increases in dry bean imports and new opportunities for the U.S. Interviews with the Chilean dry bean industry as well as official production statistics confirm that domestic dry bean production is half of what it was a […]
Dry Bean Trade Policy Update
With so much going on in the world of trade policy for dry beans, the U.S. Dry Bean Council has provided a update: China Phase One Agreement A 5% reduction on dry bean retaliatory import duties to 38%, still not at levels previous to the ongoing trade dispute. We have also learned that Chinese […]
The Impact of Coronavirus on Dry Bean Programming
The primary concern with the outbreak of the coronavirus (CORVID-19) is the health and well being of U.S. Dry Bean Council staff and industry members. New travel and event restrictions are still being announced, with the greatest impact on China and other parts of Asia. Because China is such a large trading partner, the economic and health […]