To that end, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will make a trip to Japan on April 5 in order to promote U.S. agricultural exports to that country. During his trip, Vilsack will meet with Hirotaka Akamatsu, Japan's minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
"My mission on this trip will be to continue to push hard to open markets and to bolster an open, rules-based international trading system that will benefit both consumers and our farmers and ranchers, who supply agricultural products around the world," Vilsack said.
The Obama administration recently announced a new national initiative to improve U.S. exports across sectors of the economy. A recent report from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers noted that exports of U.S. farm equipment were down 23 percent last year when compared to 2008.
In order to improve U.S. farm equipment exports, the AEM suggested that the federal government create policies that would make it easier for foreign businesses to travel to the U.S. in order to purchase agricultural equipment.
