President Donald Trump signed a trade deal with Mexico and Canada today that could spark a “renaissance” in Louisiana agriculture, producers and politicians say.
“The bottom line is this is a huge trade deal for America and Louisiana,” says Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain, who has been working with federal officials on the pact. “It has the potential to empty every grain bin and cold storage facility in the state.”
Trump called the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement, known as USMCA, a “colossal victory” for farmers, manufacturers and the workers employed by them.
The USMCA replaces the former North American Free Trade Agreement, known as NAFTA.
U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, R-Alto, the only member of the state’s delegation who sits on the House Agriculture Committee, hailed the agreement as a “home run” for Louisiana agriculture and American trade overall.
“It’s a phenomenal deal,” Abraham tells USA Today Network. “It’s going to open up the markets in a big way.”
Strain claims the new deal will increase American agriculture exports to Canada and Mexico by $2 billion annually once it goes into effect during the summer or next fall, although the policy still needs approval from Canada’s Parliament.
“Louisiana benefits exponentially from that because 60 percent of all American grain exports come through Louisiana by the Mississippi River,” he says. Read the full story.
