ITC: U.S. PROCESSED FOOD, BEVERAGES HURT BY TRADE BARRIERS

ITC: U.S. PROCESSED FOOD, BEVERAGES HURT BY TRADE BARRIERS    The U.S. International Trade Commission has released the results of a report, which found a number of tariff and non-tariff barriers that hurt the trade of the country’s processed food and beverage products abroad.
   The report, “Processed Foods and Beverages: A Description of Tariff and Non-tariff Barriers for Major Products and Their Impact on Trade,” was produced for the House Ways and Means Committee.
   The ITC analyzed the trade barriers in 12 sectors: dairy products, sugars and sugar-containing products, vegetable oils, meats, eggs and egg products, flours and other intermediate goods, grain-based foods, fruits and vegetables, edible nuts and nut products, alcoholic beverages, pet food, and other miscellaneous food and beverage products.
   “U.S. exports of processed foods and beverages have become increasingly important component of U.S. agricultural exports,” the ITC said. U.S. exports of these commodities were $21.5 billion, a 6-percent increase over 1996.
   “Variable tariffs, stemming, for instance, from price bands, complicate the orderly planning of U.S. exports to foreign markets,” the ITC said. “Small quotas, prohibitive over-quota rates, and administrative barriers associated with tariff-rate quotas are also major impediments to U.S. exports of dairy products, meat, sugars, and sugar-containing products, fruits and vegetables, and certain grain-based products.”
   The report is available on-line at the ITC’s Web site: https://www.usitc.gov.