U.S. Looks At Africa For Future Ag Trade

The African continent is being pursued by U.S. trade leaders as a potential location for agricultural export growth.  The first location American leaders are looking, is Kenya.

“It's going to be a historic and difficult conversation,” said Gregg Doud with the U.S. Trade Representative's Office.

Historic, he noted, in that if reached this would be our country's first ever free trade agreement with a sub-Saharan African Nation.

“The idea here is to have a pilot program and get something right that we can begin to build
around it over time.”

Meanwhile, a US Ag trade mission next month focuses on part on the first African country with an FTA with the U.S., Morocco, signed back in 2004.  That trade mission will be handled by the USDA's Ted McKinney.

“March 1619 is North Africa. It'll include Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. Folks, there's business there.”