As Governor, I promoted Virginia farmers and businesses throughout the world from Egypt and Europe to Mexico and Asia. We need to expand opportunities. Our government should not discriminate against Virginia farmers and businesses.

Obama targets tobacco – and Virginia jobs

By Barry DuVal

Richmond Times Dispatch

In today’s global economy, American producers face increasingly intense competition for access to major markets from other producers around the world. At a time of such economic turmoil, it is imperative that the Obama administration pursue every avenue to enhance America’s competitiveness and open opportunities for American products in the world’s leading markets. The administration’s consideration of a proposal to exclude tobacco exports from an important free-trade deal with Asian-Pacific countries is a step in the wrong direction and cause for serious concern.

On March 1, the Obama administration’s trade representatives will travel to Melbourne, Australia, to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), a multi-lateral free-trade agreement between Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and the United States.

This trade agreement represents an enormous opportunity for the American economy to reach some of the fastest-growing markets in the world. The nine countries currently negotiating the agreement constitute 40 percent of global trade, and the United States’ negotiating partners account for 60 percent of all U.S. exports and 75 percent of our agricultural exports.

The Obama administration should be commended for taking the initiative to foster a more productive trading relationship with the critically important Asian-Pacific region. However, American companies and producers should be alarmed by certain provisions under consideration by the administration that would exclude all tobacco leaf and tobacco products from the agreement or from important protections being offered to other products.

These exclusions would have disastrous consequences for the thousands of farmers in Virginia’s tobacco-growing regions, not to mention the local economies that are built on the foundation of tobacco production. Depriving Virginia’s tobacco farmers of access to the most important markets in the global economy will destroy farming jobs all across Southside and Southwest Virginia and threaten the livelihood of these communities.

Read more: http://www2.timesdispatch.com/member-center/share-this/print/?content=ar1697757