Al2-Lancast»r Farming, Saturday, October 5,1985
U.S. ag exports
(Continued from Page AID)
is China’s main supplier, and last
year wheat exports totaled 3
million tons, nearly 30 percent of
their wheat imports.”
Mexican Purchases
Mexico is the world’s fourth
largest petroleum producer, which
when oil prices were high meant
substantial agricultural imports to
offset a lagging domestic food
system. The U.S. share of Mexico’s
farm imports rose from 65 percent
to almost 90 percent in 1983. “When
the financial crisis hit Mexico,”
says MacDonald, “U.S. sales fell to
$1.2 billion in 1982. Extensive
credit guarantees helped keep
sales from slipping further in 1983.
In 1984, the Mexican economy and
agricultural production grew
modestly, the need for credit
declined, and exports from the
U.S. climbed to $1.97 billion.”
Com, the largest U.S. export to
Mexico, is used primarily as food.
Sorghum and oilseeds are also
important exports, but unlike com,
they often face competition from
other suppliers, including
Argentina and Australia.
Other Nations
Of the major U.S. markets,
Egypt is the only nation that im
ports more food than nonfood, led
by wheat and wheat flour which
I lYetnOfl ]
\ #1
PjTjj
increased from $258 million in 1979
to $352 million last year. Egypt
also buys substantial amounts of
animal fat and vegetable oils.
The Soviet Union is a substantial
but inconsistent customer, writes
MacDonald, ranking second last
year but only sixth overall for the
197944 period. While total U.S.
exports to the Soviets vary, so do
the commodities they buy. “In
1979, for example, wheat ac
counted for 26 percent of our ex
ports to the Soviets; in 1984, it
reached 47 percent as the Soviets
sought large quantities of grain to
cover the serious domestic short
fall. U.S. sales vary with Soviet
grain production and political and
economic policies.”
Canada stands as our most
important competitor, consistently
exporting large quantities of wheat
and barley; however, ease of
transportation makes large U.S.
exports of corn and oilseeds to
eastern Provinces possible. But
the largest portion-40 percent-of
its U.S. farm imports are hor
ticultural products worth over $BOO
million. Canada bought about one
third of all U.S. fruit and vegetable
exports with a price tag of $740
million and 14 percent of our meat
exports in 1984 worth $B4 million.
\SBS
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Bob
Edgar (D-7th District) today in
troduced legislation to increase the
tariff on imports of the protein
casein, the dairy byproduct far
mers consider a major headache
for the troubled dairy industry.
Casein, used for a variety of in
dustrial purposes like glue and
paints, is also used in non-dairy
products such as powdered coffee
cream, imitation cheese, and
whipped topping, displacing nonfat
milk products and disrupting the
government’s dairy price support
program. Dairy farmers are
already suffering from the lowest
milk prices in six years.
“This week, as Congress con
siders this year’s farm bill, we will
be debating the fact that the
federal government is spending
millions of dollars a year to buy
nonfat dry milk from our dairy
farmers, because they can’t
compete with cheap subsidized
imports from abroad,” Edgar
stated. He noted that casein im
ports to the United States rose
from 72,428 metric tons in 1983 to
87,357 metric tons in 1984.
“My bill would impose a tariff on
imports of casein to help reduce
the damaging oversupply of
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Edgar proposes bill
to close casein ‘loophole 9
American nonfat dry milk,’ ’ Edgar it subject to the standard tariff,
said. “According to the Depart- “It’s time to close this casein
ment of Agriculture, in 1980 the loophole and recognize what is a
federal government would have* literal fact. Casein is a food
saved $3OO million dollars in price! product and should be treated as
support purchases if no casein had such. Putting the tariff on casein
been imported. In these high- will encourage the food industry to
deficit times with scarce federal buy nonfat dairy products from
dollars, we can’t afford to go on states like Pennsylvania, which is
subsidizing the use of casein rather ranked fourth nationally in dairy
than our own dairy products.” production, help our farmers, and
Edgar’s bill would reclassify save the federal government
casein from an industrial product money. This is a simple, cost
free from any tariff to a food efficient way to improve the
product subject to a tax of five federal dairy price support system
cents a pound. Edgar noted that while saving our family farms
casein was originally intended only from tariff-free competition from
for industrial use, but that its use abroad,” Edgar said, “and I will
as a food product now should make do my best to make sure that
Congress approves it.”
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