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Economist expects modernized NAFTA agreement will improve market access

An ag economist believes modernizing the NAFTA agreement will be beneficial for U.S. farmers. Aga Dobrawolska-Perry with Rabobank tells Brownfield she expects a new NAFTA agreement to grant more market access, and not less.  “We believe that we will get better access to the Canadian market, and I think for good reason.  We are efficient and we have, you know, good producers and good product to send to Canada and if they want to be our partner in other trade, they will have to agree to a certain extent to grant us more access to the Canadian market.”

And, she says a new agreement will be better for U.S. dairy producers exporting to Mexico.  “As the Mexican population is getting wealthier, they will consume more dairy and from a nutrition standpoint, from having a little cheese with your wine standpoint, it’s always a market that will continue to grow.”

Dobrawolska-Perry also says negotiations for an updated NAFTA agreement might be able to solve some of the migrant worker issues faced by U.S. producers and their employees.