Jan 31, 2018

USApple reacts to State of the Union trade talk

U.S. Apple Association President & CEO Jim Bair issued the following statement regarding President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Jan. 30.

“The U.S. Apple Association (USApple) is pleased President Trump used his State of the Union address as a platform to speak about the importance of free and fair trade. The one thing that has accomplished the most for free and fair trade in apples, and most of agriculture, is the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

“The NAFTA agreement is critical to the U.S. apple industry. Since the agreement took effect, American apple growers have quadrupled and doubled their exports to Mexico and Canada, respectively. With a combined value of $430 million annually, these top two exporting countries represent a 46 percent share of U.S. apple exports.

“As American agriculture’s largest export market, with nearly $43 billion annually in exports, NAFTA is important to the entire agriculture industry and the U.S. economy as a whole. The agreement boosts millions of American jobs, commodity markets and critical industry supply chains. NAFTA also allows American agriculture to maintain a competitive advantage in the international trade arena, where preserving and growing access to markets is critical.

“Maintaining these NAFTA markets is a top priority for USApple. We have worked closely with the White House, the U.S. Trade Representative, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Agriculture to convey the significance of preserving our NAFTA trading partnerships. We will continue to aggressively advocate for retaining our export markets.”

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today issued the following statement regarding the state of the Union Address:

“President Trump’s unifying address to the nation recounted this administration’s impressive achievements in its first year, which have strengthened the economy for all Americans, including those who do the important work in the agriculture sector.  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is already helping workers and will allow agricultural producers to invest more in their operations and their own families. President Trump’s optimistic vision for the nation includes massive investment in infrastructure, which will be a boon to a rural America that sorely needs such improvements. The president’s emphasis on fair trade gives me confidence that he will strike deals that benefit all parts of the American economy.  Additionally, his focus on eliminating burdensome regulations is freeing up agricultural producers and removing obstacles to productivity. This is a president who has rural America and agriculture close to his heart, as his words and deeds clearly demonstrate.”