Houston, Texas – U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney addressed the delegates and members of the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) on Monday, updating them on ongoing trade negotiations that will affect grains market access and announcing a $1.3 million grant for Council feed industry training programs in North Africa and the Middle East. In Houston, he spoke on the ongoing negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS), potential bilateral trade deals, ethanol exports and the positive reputation of U.S. products globally. The North Africa and Middle East training efforts were recently launched with a memorandum of understanding and initial funding from the U.S. Department of State. “The partnership between the USDA and the Council helps support the work we do, cemented by a strong foundation of member support,” Keller said. “We appreciate the opportunity to hear from both USDA leadership and our global staff on how our collaborative efforts support U.S. farmers and agribusiness through increased demand for their products.”

Source: The North Africa Journal February 13, 2018 15:33 UTC