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Trade group optimistic on U.S.-India deal, but questions remain for dairy

The executive director of Farmers for Free Trade says he remains optimistic the U.S. can get a trade deal done with India.

Brian Kuehl tells Brownfield, “India had a delegation in the United States this week on the ground negotiating hopefully a new trade deal. We haven’t seen the details on what they are negotiating, so that’s a little bit of a mystery.”

He says India is the most populous country on the planet and that could bode well for U.S. agriculture.

“Historically, they’ve been a major purchaser of U.S. apples and almonds. There are sectors within agriculture that we already know they want to buy our products. If we can make sure tariff rates are low and non-tariff barriers are eliminated, those can be significant markets for U.S. ag.”

Kuehl says there also potential for exports of Dried Distillers Grains, or DDGS.

“India has terrible air quality issues. They can’t make enough ethanol to improve their air quality. I think there’s a deal to be made with them purchasing U.S. ethanol which would be a great move for our corn farmers.”

But he says he’s skeptical a potential trade deal would benefit U.S. dairy producers, noting India has the largest dairy herd in the world.

Brian Kuehl: