Agricultural Trade Act

Summary

Agricultural Trade Act - Title I: Establishment of United States Agricultural Trade Offices - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1954 to add a new title authorizing the Secretary of Agriculture to establish abroad not less than 25 United States Agricultural Trade Offices to perform duties relating to foreign market development. Enumerates the functions of each Office, including: (1) to increase the effectiveness of agricultural export promotion; (2) to develop listings of commodity area contracts; and (3) to provide assistance for the export credit sales program and the export incentives program. Title II: Intermediate Commercial Credit - Amends the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to finance, under its export credit sales program, export sales of agricultural commodities out of Commodity Credit Corporation and private stocks on credit terms in excess of three but not more than ten years. Exempts such sales from specified provisions of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936. Title III: Reorganization - Establishes in the Department of Agriculture: (1) an Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Commodity Programs to perform agricultural stabilization and conservation functions; and (2) an Under Secretary of Agriculture for International Affairs to exercise functions related to foreign agriculture. Title IV: Agricultural Counselors - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1954 to redesignate agricultural attaches as agricultural counselors, and to require such counselors to submit annual reports to Congress on the agricultural situation in the area to which the counselor is assigned. Title V: Reporting Requirements for Sales of Agricultural Commodities - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1970 to require rapid reporting to the Secretary of Agriculture of large export sales. Title VI: General Provisions - Requires the Secretary of Agriculture: (1) to implement this Act as expeditiously as possible; and (2) to transmit annual reports to Congress on Department of Agriculture activities including those of Agricultural Trade Offices, in developing foreign markets for United States agricultural commodities.

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1 official file

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 10 May 1978

  Open at official source

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