USA Rice Identifies Trade Obstacles for USTR

 
Nov 04, 2016
Obstacles abound
USA-Rice-Identifies-Trade-Obstacles
ARLINGTON, VA -- Last week, USA Rice submitted its comments for the 2017 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE), an annual report issued by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).  Published in the first quarter of each year, the NTE is a summary of significant foreign trade barriers facing U.S. exports and is instrumental in USTR’s negotiations to eliminate such barriers.

The USA Rice submission identified the EU’s tariff regime and biotechnology regulation; phytosanitary issues in Colombia and Turkey; domestic price supports in India and Thailand; and various import policies in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan as significant obstacles for the U.S. rice industry.  

“Given the recent action the Administration took with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against domestic price supports in China, it is crucial to continue beating the drum on unfair trade practices,” said USA Rice COO Bob Cummings.  “Many other countries have policies which ignore their WTO violations, thus distorting global trade, and the U.S. rice industry is suffering for it.  Our submission makes it clear where we are facing the most egregious barriers to trade.”

USA Rice’s NTE comments were issued in response to a notice in the Federal Register.  A copy of the submission is available here.


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