Kansas Agriculture Industry Seeing Impact of China Phase One Agreement

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Office the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released a joint interim report on the Phase One trade agreement between China and the U.S. The findings of the report illustrate the benefits that the structural changes in trade and commerce have had on American farmers and ranchers.

To date, China has implemented nearly 90 percent of its technical commitments under the Phase One agreement and has purchased more than $23 billion in agricultural products from American farmers and ranchers.

'For far too long, our farmers and ranchers were forced to deal with deceptive trade practices and unpredictable actions by the Chinese,' said U.S. Congressman Roger Marshall, M.D.'Agriculture is responsible for 60 percent of the Kansas economy, which is why free and fair market access is vital to ensuring that our producers remain profitable and our rural communities prosperous. This Administration has prioritized free, fair and reciprocal trade, and I remain committed to standing with our hardworking farm families and working alongside this Administration to prioritize market access for our nation's agricultural products.'

Highlights of the interim report include:
Corn: Outstanding sales of U.S. corn to China are at an all-time high of 8.7M tons. As of October 8, total accumulated corn sales for 2020 are more than 12 times greater than those accumulated by the same date in 2017.

Soybeans: Soybean exports to China are off to a strong start in the current marketing year, averaging over 1.1M tons per week since the beginning of September according to ESR data.

Sorghum: US exports of sorghum to China from January to August 2020 totaled $617M, up from $561M for the same period in 2017.

Pork: US pork and pork product exports to China stand at over $1.5B from January through August 2020 and, as reported to USDA, China continues to buy U.S. pork at strong levels. As of October 8, total accumulated pork sales to China in 2020 are eight times greater than those accumulated by the same date in 2017.

Beef: 2020 exports of US beef and beef products to China through August are up 118 percent compared to the same period in 2019 and are already more than triple the total for US beef exports to China in all of 2017. In addition, as of October 8, total accumulated beef sales to China in 2020 were over 25 times greater than those accumulated over the same period in 2017.

Pet Food: U.S. pet food exports to China totaled over $20 million at the end of August, nearly doubling the previous annual record. With the commitments and structural reforms of the Phase One Agreement in place, the Chinese market for U.S. pet food could reach $300 million or more annually.

Click HERE to read the full report.