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FACT
SHEET:
U.S.-Korea Free Trade
Agreement - What's at Stake for
Rice?
September 2008
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20081013072752im_/http://www.fas.usda.gov/info/factsheets/images/spacer.gif)
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The U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) will provide America’s
farmers, ranchers, food processors, and the businesses they support with
improved access to the Republic of Korea’s 49 million consumers. If approved by
Congress, this would be the most economically significant trade agreement for
the U.S. agricultural sector in 15 years.
Under this agreement, the average agricultural tariff for U.S. goods will
fall from 52 percent to 4 percent in 15 years. Lower tariffs benefit both U.S.
suppliers and Korea’s consumers. The KORUS FTA will help the United States
compete against Korea’s other major agriculture suppliers and help keep the
United States on a level playing field with Korea’s current free trade partners.
With the Agreement…
While there is no additional market access for rice in the KORUS FTA, rice
exporters currently benefit from the rice agreement that the United States
negotiated with Korea in 2004 under the WTO Minimum Access Agreement. Under the
WTO agreement, U.S. exporters enjoy guaranteed market access for 50,076 tons of
rice annually under a country-specific quota in Korea’s tariff schedule. U.S.
exporters are also able to compete for additional quantities under the global
portion of Korea’s rice quota. Under this global quota, Korea purchased 71,000
tons, the highest level of U.S. rice imports since Korea assumed its WTO minimum
market access obligations in 1995. The 2004 agreement requires that Korea
distribute some U.S. rice to consumers instead of selling it all for industrial
use. The 2004 rice agreement expires in 2014, at which time the United States
will negotiate for additional access for rice. The United States continues to
push for greater access to Korea’s rice market in the Doha negotiations.
The Trade Situation…
From 2005 to 2007, U.S. suppliers shipped on average 56,000 metric tons of
rice valued at $29.3 million. The current U.S. share of the Korean import market
is 26 percent. The United States faces competition from China and Thailand for
rice purchases under the global quota.
The Current Market Access Situation…
U.S. rice faces a country-specific quota of 50,076 tons with an applied
tariff of 5 percent. The U.S.-specific share falls within an absolute quota of
266,269 tons in 2007 that will grow incrementally to 407,800 tons in 2014. The
WTO bound tariff rate is the same as the applied rate.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its
programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender,
religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or
family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with
disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program
information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA ’s
TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil
Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
DC 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal
opportunity provider and employer.
Back to the U.S.-Korea Free Trade
Agreement
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