Copyright 2000 The Atlanta Constitution
The Atlanta
Journal and Constitution
June 22, 2000, Thursday, Home Edition
SECTION: Business; Pg. 2G
LENGTH: 499 words
HEADLINE:
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS: State agriculture chief pushing for more exports to
China, Cuba
BYLINE: Matthew C. Quinn, Staff
SOURCE: CONSTITUTION
BODY:
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin is pushing to expand markets
for farm products to Cuba and China.
Irvin called last week for an end
to U.S. trade restrictions for food and medicine to Cuba. Then he boarded a
flight for Beijing, where he is leading a 10-day Georgia trade mission to
agriculture trade shows and meetings with Chinese officials.
In a
telephone interview from Beijing on Wednesday, Irvin said he sees great
opportunities for Georgia agriculture from the U.S.-China trade bill recently
passed by the House.
Presuming enactment of legislation to grant China
permanent normal trade relations, Irvin also sees greater
opportunities to export Georgia cotton, poultry and tobacco.
"China is
already our fourth-largest market for poultry exports, and I suspect that with
permanent access it will quickly become No. 1,'' said Irvin.
He was
accompanied by officials from Hudson Pecan Co. of Ocilla, GlobalFood
Exchange.com, an Atlanta-based online food distributor, and AJC International,
an Atlanta-based farm products trading company with offices in Hong Kong.
Irvin was the sponsor last week of a resolution calling on the State
Department to explore lifting the ban on trade in food and medicine with Cuba.
The measure was approved without opposition by the Southern Association of State
Departments of Agriculture. House Republican leaders said this week in
Washington that they are willing to drop their opposition to the sale of food
and medicine to Cuba.
"Chicken that is grown in Georgia is finding its
way to Cuba through Canada. It doesn't make sense to me when we're right next
door,'' Irvin said. "The day will come when there's a change down there. We need
to get in on the ground floor.''
Irvin said he has no estimates on the
potential for Georgia farm exports to Cuba.
Irvin requested a meeting
later this week with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who was arriving
today in China for talks with Chinese leaders.
Court considers request
to overturn NAFTA
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is today to
hear an appeal from the United Steelworkers of America that seeks to overturn
the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement.
The union filed the appeal
after a lower court decision in July that upheld the treaty's validity.
Judge Robert Propst of the U.S. District Court in Birmingham dismissed
the union's contention that the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade pact is
unconstitutional because it was approved with simple House and Senate majority
votes instead of by the two-thirds Senate vote required by the Constitution to
ratify a treaty.
Coming up
June 29: Atlanta Women in
International Trade sponsor a program to assess the impact of the 2000 Trade and
Development Act on Georgia importers and exporters. 6-7:30 p.m., Canadian
Consulate, 100 Colony Square, Atlanta. Cost is $ 35. For more information or
reservations: Lynn Wendt at 404-523-2980 or e-mail awitrsvp@aol.com
e-mail: mquinn@ajc.com
LOAD-DATE: June 22, 2000
