News

Nebraska Farm Bureau urges Trump to use ‘full powers’ to enforce Phase One deal

Nebraska Farm Bureau is urging President Trump to use the “full powers” of his office to enforce the Phase One trade agreement with China.

“While some agricultural purchases have been made, China is woefully behind in terms of meeting the agriculture targets outlined in the in the Phase One deal,” says Farm Bureau president Steve Nelson. “In order to reach the 36.5 billion dollars in imports China agreed to, purchases must drastically increase, and that must start today.”

Farm Bureau senior economist Jay Rempe says the group sent a letter to Trump reminding him of China’s commitment to buy U.S. ag products.

“What we want the president to do is just look at the negotiation skills that he can bring to bear on China to make sure they live up to their end of the agreement,” Rempe says. “We want him to look at every avenue that he can to try to make sure that we can move forward with this agreement.”

Rempe says China has been a vital market for Nebraska farmers and ranchers.  He says it’s been a consistent top three market for Nebraska ag products, accounting for 15 percent of Nebraska’s total ag exports each year prior to 2018.

AUDIO: Jay Rempe

Add Comment

Your email address will not be published.


 

Stay Up to Date

Subscribe for our newsletter today and receive relevant news straight to your inbox!