U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins will visit six international markets in the first six months of her term to expand markets and boost American agricultural exports.

"At a time when the agricultural trade deficit is at nearly $50 billion following the previous administration’s little to no action in the international marketplace, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is working to diversify global markets, strengthen existing markets, and hold existing trading partners accountable for their end of the deal," the USDA said in a release. 

“President Trump has the backs of our farmers and ranchers,” said Secretary Rollins. “USDA remains committed to expanding market access around the world. I am going abroad to sell the bounty of American agriculture and to ensure the prosperity of our hard-working agricultural producers. Everything is on the table to get more markets for our products.”

In February, Brooke Rollins was sworn in as the 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Clarence Thomas. 

Target markets 

Secretary Rollins will visit Vietnam, Japan, India, Peru, Brazil, and the United Kingdom this year. Other USDA Trade Missions include Hong Kong, the Dominican Republic, Taiwan, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mexico.

India: The United States is India’s sixth-largest supplier of agricultural products. The U.S. has a $1.3 billion trade deficit with India.

Brazil: The United States has a $7 billion trade deficit with Brazil.

United Kingdom: The UK is the United States' fourteenth-largest agricultural export market. When exporting to the UK, U.S. producers face disproportionately high tariffs and small tariff rate quota volumes.

Japan: Japan is a top-five market for many key U.S. commodities, including corn, beef, pork, wheat, rice, and soybeans. However, the U.S. faces competition from other countries in many of these markets.

Vietnam: Vietnam is the United States’ tenth-largest agricultural export market. The U.S. has no trade agreement with Vietnam, while major competitors like China do.

Peru: Peru is the United States’ third-largest market for agricultural exports in South America, and the U.S. remains Peru’s second-largest agricultural supplier. Key prospects for U.S. agricultural exports to Peru include ethanol, dairy products, meat, tree nuts, and pulses.

Photo credits: Gage Skidmore