U.S. SENATE PANEL COULD CONSIDER TRADE MEASURE
The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee
may take up a bill tomorrow that would strengthen the
activities of U.S. agricultural trade teams in selected
developing countries, committee staff said.
    The measure, sponsored by committee Chairman Patrick Leahy
(D-Vt.) and Sen. John Melcher (D-Mont.), would establish trade
teams of between six and nine persons drawn from federal
agencies and private voluntary organizations, staff said.
    The trade missions would seek to generate interest in the
U.S. government's food donation and commercial programs --
PL480, Section 416, export credit and export enhancement -- and
upon return be required to advocate extension of concessional
or commercial benefits to interested countries.
    The trade teams would be made up of representatives of the
U.S. Agriculture Department, State Department, the Agency for
International Development and private voluntary organizations
such as U.S. Wheat Associates.
    The bill would require teams within six months to visit
seven countries: Mexico, Philippines, Indonesia, India,
Bangladesh, Senegal and Nigeria.
    Within one year after passage of the measure, another eight
countries would have to be visited: Peru, Kenya, the Dominican
Republic, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Venezuela, Tunisia and Morocco.
Other countries could be added to the list.
    Senate staff members said the bill, still in the drafting
stages, had broad support and was expected to be approved by
the committee tomorrow.
 Reuter
