U.S. WHEAT GROUPS CALL FOR GLOBAL ACTION
All major grain producing countries
must do their part to help reduce global surpluses and the
recent Australian farm policy proposals are flawed, two U.S.
wheat organizations said.
    The recent Australian proposals were a good starting point
for discussions, "but we do not want the Australians to feel
they are alone in developing an agenda for discussions" on world
grain trade, the president of the National Association of Wheat
Growers, NAWG, and the chairman of U.S. Wheat Associates said
in a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Richard Lyng and U.S.
Trade Representative Clayton Yeutter.
    Future discussions on international wheat trade should
include three topics -- a commitment to privatization of
government-run export trading entities, a commitment to public
disclosure of sales and other terms if government entities are
involved, and a recognition that supply reductions by the U.S.
have kept world prices higher than they otherwise would be, the
two organizations said 
    While the Australian proposals are welcome the two
organizations said they are not in total agreement with their
assessments.
    Australia's proposals, which aim to reduce U.S. target
prices and "quarantine" U.S. wheat stocks, would continue to
place the burden of supply adjustment and reform on U.S.
farmers, they said.
      Other countries, including Australia, have benefitted
from the higher world prices that have resulted from past U.S.
acreage and crop reduction programs, the organizations said.
    "We will not continue to hurt ourselves economically -- and
subsidize foreign wheat production -- by unilaterally stocking
grain and changing programs which protect our growers," Jim
Miller, president of NAWG said.
    "We sincerely hope for some type of agreement among the
world's major grain producing nations to reduce stocks and
restore profitability to agriculture," Miller said.
 Reuter
