Last week, lawmakers announced they have reached a bipartisan agreement to finalize the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). NPC has called for this action since President Trump and the leaders of Canada and Mexico originally signed the agreement in October 2018.
“Ratifying USMCA will stabilize the current trade environment with both Canada and Mexico and set rules for decades to come. It also provides clear momentum to move forward on unresolved issues, such as fresh access to Mexico,” said Jared Balcom, NPC VP of Trade Affairs.
Long supported by NPC and a coalition of U.S. farm, ranch, and agriculture groups, USMCA builds on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and supports jobs provided by the U.S. potato industry. Under NAFTA, U.S. agricultural exports to Canada and Mexico have more than quadrupled over the last 25 years. Canada is the second largest export market with over $300 million in sales annually. Mexico is the third largest export market for U.S. potatoes comprising over $250 million in annual sales. According to the United States International Trade Commission, the USMCA would increase U.S. GDP by $68.2 billion and employment by 176,000 jobs.