ORLANDO, Fla., March 5 (Reuters) - The trade agreement negotiated by the United States with China last year can triple annual U.S. corn exports to the Asian country, the National Corn Growers Association President Lynn Jensen said on Sunday.
Under the pact, which sets the terms for China's entry to the World Trade Organization, China will slash import barriers on a wide range of farm and other goods.
But to reap the benefits of the agreement, the United States Congress must approve permanent Normal Trade Relations status with China. A vote is expected in June or July.
"China is widely considered the most important growth market for U.S. agriculture in the 21st century. That's why congressional passage of permanent normal trade relations with China is NCGA's top trade priority this year," Jensen said.
He said the Sino-US agreement would significantly improve market access for a wide variety of U.S. food and agricultural products. He said China's imports of U.S. corn averaged 47 million bushels per year over the last five years.
"We have the opportunity to immediately triple that average under this new agreement," he told a news conference on the sidelines of a commodity conference here.
"But this will not happen unless Congress gives China the same trading rights it extends to the other 134 members of the WTO," he added.
The Agriculture Department estimates the trade deal would boost U.S. farm exports by at least $2 billion annually by the year 2005.
On the controversy over genetically-modified crops, Jensen said mandatory labeling of bio-tech products has the potential to mislead consumers into believing that the products were either different from conventional foods or present a risk.
The European Commission is considering a plan to require labels on bioengineered foods in which at least one ingredient contains more than one percent of altered material.
Japan and South Korea plan to introduce mandatory labels on genetically-altered foods next year.
"NCGA stands firmly behind the safety, benefits and potential of biotechnology, but we recognize that misinformation from activist organizations has clouded the domestic and international acceptance of biotech products."
Public interest groups in Europe have been campaigning against genetically-modified crops, saying more tests were needed to study their impact on health and the environment.:
