Bush's 1993 Budget Expected to Promote Farm Exports

A SENIOR Republican congressman from the Midwest said Jan. 20 that he expects President Bush to include $1 billion to promote United States farm exports in his budget proposal to Congress for fiscal 1993.

Rep. Pat Roberts (R) of Kansas told the annual meeting of the Farm Credit Council that talks appear stalled for a new accord under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

As a precaution against failure in the current global trade talks, Congressman Roberts said he expected Mr. Bush to include $1 billion for farm export promotion in the 1993 budget proposal.

The 1990 budget compromise allows the spending if a new GATT accord on agriculture is not reached by June 30, 1992.

"This may be our only chance to get a GATT plan that assures fair trade in world markets," said Roberts, a six-term congressman who is the senior Republican on the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Foreign Affairs.

US farmers complain that they are at a severe disadvantage in world markets competing against heavily subsidized European farm products.

He also warned the nation's farm credit banks of the possible impact on agriculture if the Office of Management and Budget places a cap on federal spending for farm disaster aid.

The Department of Agriculture currently forecasts that farm subsidies by Washington will rise to $11.9 billion in the 1992 fiscal year ending in September from about $10.6 billion in fiscal 1991.