February 22,2011

Press Contact:

Contact:  Scott Mulhauser/Erin Shields (Baucus) 
 202-224-4515

Baucus Works to Increase U.S.-Brazil Trade

Finance Chair Meets with Ministers of Finance, Foreign Relations, Agriculture; Deputy Trade Minister

Washington, DC – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) met with Brazil’s Ministers of Foreign Relations, Finance, Agriculture, and Deputy Minister of Trade today to discuss opportunities to increase trade between the United States and Brazil, including the conclusion of the Doha Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations.

“The U.S. and Brazil have a good trading relationship, and today we discussed ways we can expand trade even further,” Baucus said.  “We need to work together to help conclude the Doha trade negotiations this year to help continue the global economic recovery.  A successful completion of the Doha trade negotiations will help the U.S. access the markets that matter most to American exporters, creating jobs in Montana and across the country.  To move forward and complete the agreement, the United States needs increased market access from Brazil and other large emerging economies.”   

Baucus discussed with Minister of Agriculture Wagner Rossi how best to work together to reduce tariff and non-tariff based barriers to agricultural products around the world and how best to work together to promote science-based regulation of agricultural biotech products.  Brazil provides a growing market for U.S. exports of consumer-ready processed food products and fresh and processed fruits and vegetables.  Brazil also imports U.S. wheat. 

With Deputy Trade Minister Alessandro Teixeira, Baucus expressed his commitment to renew the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).  The program gives developing countries duty-free access to the U.S. market for certain products, helping those economies grow and reducing input costs for U.S. producers.   GSP covers a variety of products exported from Brazil and more than 130 other developing countries, spurring growth in those economies and creating new demand for U.S. exports.  Baucus has been a leading advocate in the Senate for a renewal of the GSP program.

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