USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is in Japan this week for a meeting of agriculture ministers from the G-7 states, which include the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Italy, and Japan, to underscore the significance of bilateral trade and to discuss global food security in the wake of climate change. Discussions will also include how the global agricultural segment can collaborate to improve sustainability and resilience in agriculture and food production.
Secretary Vilsack will also visit Vietnam with the goal to strengthening U.S.-Vietnamese relations and to discuss how the Trans-Pacific Partnership is important to both the United States and Vietnam. Should TPP be ratified by the respective governments, U.S. exports of poultry, beef, and pork are expected to benefit from a reduction in, and elimination of, high import tariffs that Vietnam imposes on U.S. meat imports. Since 2009, U.S. agricultural exports to Vietnam have increased by more than 35 percent and sales to Vietnam in 2015 amounted to $2.3 billion, according to USDA. Vietnam currently ranks at the 11th largest export market for a range of U.S. products.
