Secretary Johanns makes the most of mission to Iraq

By Ken Root

The travels of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns know no bounds as he has circled the globe on behalf of the President with a message of hope, trade and cooperation. Iraq was his latest mission, and most dangerous destination, but it appears he will go anywhere to encourage countries to work with the United States and open their markets for trade.

Johanns draws from his background as an Iowa farm boy and Nebraska politician who started as mayor of Lincoln before going on to be governor. He engages everyone he meets and lets them know that he is an emissary of the President of the United States. He listens to their wants and needs and offers encouragement that, if they will work with us, we will work with them.

Although the message may seem basic, he delivers it around the world. Just before traveling to Iraq, Johanns had been to Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic in central Asia. He had also been to Geneva and participated in the last round of talks at the World Trade Organization. He expressed particular concern that failure to reach agreement to conclude the Doha round of WTO would result in legal bombardment of U.S. farm legislation.

"We no longer have a peace clause and I fear several countries will begin procedures to sue the U.S. for market distortions and perhaps target the U.S. marketing loan program." He views an extension of the current farm bill as an open invitation for a court challenge that could invalidate marketing loans and require Congress to abolish that provision to stay compliant with WTO.

Johanns clearly is using his travels to strengthen the U.S. position on trade against Europe, Brazil and India who have stalled the WTO process. It appears he is building alliances with countries that export and those that want lower cost imports to counter the protectionism of other trading countries.

In Iraq he carried as high a profile as security would allow. Although the party entered the large metropolis of Baghdad on a cargo plane equipped with "countermeasures" then flew in a convoy of armed helicopters and was transported on land by armored vehicles, the Secretary seemed oblivious to the danger and focused on the personal contact he would be able to make.

In the heavily fortified U.S. Embassy he met with the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and gave a similar message to each one. He was there to assist them in their efforts to return Iraq to the family of trading nations.

The Iraqi needs are many, but in agriculture they asked for help in fixing old tractors and providing expertise in revitalizing their agriculture. Johanns was ready with an agreement to utilize the resources of the Agricultural Extension Service. The verbal exchanges were pleasant and the handshakes were sincere, but no one knows how long it will be before the irrigation canals run water and the farmer's plant crops in the once lush desert environment.

Recent agricultural aid to Iraq, according to a briefing by Captain Henry Domeracki, indicated that the Agency for International Development had purchased 173 seed cleaners and sprayed 203 thousand hectares of date palms for destructive insects.

The Iraq/U.S. coalition is attempting to clear 1,500 kilometers of drainage canals and employing 5,000 people to do so. They are developing a vocational training program and are offering tools to those who complete the class work and start a commercial enterprise.

In a country the size of California with 22 million people, of which nine million live in the Baghdad region, it is a formidable task.

The Iraqi leaders admitted that they are importing products, like honey, that they once produced in abundance and need to restore fishing and other enterprises to pre-war levels.

"Oil is the number one industry in Iraq," said Johanns, "But agriculture is the number two industry and it employs many more people."

The second gulf war has left most Iraqi's dependent on the government for food and over four billion dollars worth were given away last year. Officials wish to move their population to greater self-sufficiency, but it is acknowledged to be a sensitive political issue. Johanns stressed the need to wean most Iraqi's off food aid and limit its distribution to those unable to work.

Iraqi farmers also need to be brought into a market economy according to all questioned. James O. Smith has been the counselor for the office of Agricultural Affairs since 2003 and will hold the post until November when USDA will place Rod McSherry, a career employee of the Foreign Ag Service in Iraq as Agricultural Attache'. Smith says the farmland is owned by the government but offered on a 99 year lease to farmers. He also described a purchasing and distribution system that seems humorously like our own but chaotic and unsustainable in a developing country.

"The Iraqi government sets the price it will pay for grain in an unrealistic manner that is unrelated to market signals. It buys the grain from the farmers at this price and then subsidizes the sale of the grain (at a lower price) to poultry farmers and others who utilize grain. It only sells to those who have qualified as livestock producers, except they aren't in most cases, and they then sell the grain on the open market."

It is this type of market distortion that Johanns is trying to stop if Iraq is to attempt to achieve a level of self sufficiency in food production. Both consumers who get free food and farmers who sell on a fictitious market have to accept change.

As Secretary Johanns completed his discussions, he remained on message with each Iraqi minister. "The United States wants to work with you to make Iraq an independent and democratic nation." He pledged resources and more USDA advisors before the end of the year.

Editor's note: Ken Root is now celebrating his 34th year as an agricultural professional. His career began as a vocational agriculture teacher then turned to agricultural broadcasting and writing as well as environmental consulting and association management. He was the original host of AgriTalk (1994-2001) and now is lead farm broadcaster for WHO Radio in Des Moines, Iowa. Ken also contributes to the Midwest Ag Report electronic newsletter each Friday. A free e-mail subscription is available by going to www.hpj.com and clicking on Midwest Ag Report.

Date: 8/9/06

	Web hpj.com

Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2008.  High Plains Publishers, Inc.  All rights reserved.  Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com