Continuing demand for U.S. food and agriculture products abroad has led to the three best consecutive years for U.S. farm exports in the country’s history, according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. Farm sector income has rebounded since 2009, growing 27 percent in 2010 and 20 percent in 2011, said a report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the White House Rural Council.
“In 2010, President [Barack] Obama committed to doubling U.S. exports in five years, and just two years later, we are on pace to meet that goal,” said Vilsack. “Meanwhile, people around the world continue to demand U.S. food and agricultural products, boosting American businesses and supporting our rural communities. To ensure these successes continue, USDA has aggressively worked to expand export opportunities and reduce barriers to trade. Less restrictions abroad, stronger trade deals for U.S. agriculture, and greater export assistance for U.S. businesses supports more than 1 million Americans jobs in industries from packing and shipping, to food processing, to transportation.”
In the 2011 fiscal year, total food and agriculture exports reached the highest levels ever, at $137.4 billion, according to the report. Exports in several agriculture sectors for the U.S. are expected to rise for the remainder of 2012 and into 2013.
