USDA seeks options for Asia

USDA seeks options for Asia

WASHINGTON (Reuters): Agriculture Undersecretary Gus
Schumacher said Wednesday the Agriculture Department was
exploring "several options" to maintain U.S. farm exports to
South Korea and Southeast Asia.

In testimony for a House Agriculture subcommittee, Schumacher
said options included additional export credits to South Korea
later this year, PL-480 wheat sales to Indonesia and larger use
of supplier credit guarantees to aid sales of high value
products.

Schumacher and two other USDA officials produced a similar
list following a tour of the region last month. USDA has offered
$1 billion in credits to South Korea and $2 billion in credits to
Southeast Asia.

In prepared testimony, Schumacher said USDA expected "little
use of GSM" export credits in Indonesia in the short term.

Forty percent of U.S. agricultural exports, or $23 billion a
year, go to East Asia.