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2020 a “bounce-back year” for US ag exports

The acting administrator of the USDA Foreign Ag Service says overall, 2020 was a bounce-back year for US ag exports following trade disputes in 2018 and 2019.

“We saw exports reach $146 billion in 2020. This was roughly a 7% increase over the previous year and the second highest ever, only beat by what we did in 2014.”        

Daniel Whitley tells Brownfield four C’s tell the story: the countries, the commodities, COVID-19 and China. Whitley says several countries saw increased demand for ag products and despite challenges related to the pandemic, the US had the commodities to fill those needs.

“We saw almost record exports to China of $26.4 billion in 2020. This was of course fueled by China’s domestic pork supply being hit by African Swine Fever.”

Whitely says there are some wild cards for this year like recovery from African Swine Fever, middle class growth and climate change policy but his outlook is still bullish.

“We are seeing a lot of consumers around the world shift their consumption habits that we think favor US ag products.”        

He says US agriculture will benefit as more global consumers return to restaurants and high-end grocery stores following the pandemic.

Brownfield’s Nicole Heslip interviews Daniel Whitley

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