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Framework in place for quick Japan trade deal

National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) CEO Chandler Goule says the framework exists to expedite a trade agreement with Japan.

“The Japanese Government said in the media, and they’ve also said it to our negotiators, that they would be interested in taking the language that was in the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) and basically cutting and pasting that into a bilateral with the United States.”

He tells Brownfield that would put the U.S. on a level playing field with CPTPP members Canada and Australia, who Goule views as the biggest wheat export competition.

“As to the timeline, I’m not sure. I know that the China negotiations keep taking a lot of the air and resources out of the room. But we continue to urge the Administration to push forward with that bilateral so we can continue to sell our very high-quality wheat into that Japanese market.”

Goule says Japan is the number one export market for U.S. wheat on average, valued at nearly $700 million.