WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Pat Roberts (R-KS) sent a letter to Ambassador Ron Kirk urging the U.S. Trade Representative to support the United States - Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Brownback and Roberts say that Kansas wheat growers will greatly benefit from the United States - Colombia FTA.

Full text of the letter is below.  

The Honorable Ron Kirk

United States Trade Representative

600 17th Street NW

Washington, DC 20508

Dear Mr. Ambassador:

We are pleased to hear of the President’s support for the United States - Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA). We agree with the President that this agreement should be submitted to Congress for approval as soon as possible.

Kansas is the largest wheat producing state, on average, producing nearly one-fifth of the nation’s wheat production. As the largest exporter, Kansas is referred to as, "The Breadbasket of the World." The proposed trade agreement with Colombia is critical to wheat growers in our state. Agricultural exports play a key role in the Kansas economy. The recent election of Juan Manuel Santos is an encouraging development in moving this trade agreement forward. A graduate of the University of Kansas, President-Elect Santos has made increased trade with the United States a key priority of his upcoming administration. 

Recently, the Canadian parliament ratified a trade agreement with Colombia, allowing Canadian wheat to be imported duty-free by Colombia. As our primary competitor in wheat production, this trade agreement gives Canadian growers a significant competitive advantage in this growing market. The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) and U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) estimate the United States stands to lose $70 million in sales to Colombia, which totaled $330 million in 2008. 

With an abundance of wheat in storage this year, Kansas farmers are facing low cash prices. USW released a report showing cash prices for wheat would be 10 cents per bushel higher, and exports to Colombia would increase by 20 million bushels if the United States - Colombia FTA was ratified. Domestically, expanding market access for our farmers will help to achieve President Obama’s goal to double U.S. exports within five years as detailed in the National Export Initiative. It is, therefore, urgent that this trade agreement be submitted to Congress for approval to maintain the United States' competitiveness in agricultural exports. Kansas wheat producers can no longer afford to miss out, nor be replaced by our competitors in this important market.

Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to working with you to open markets for Kansas' agricultural products.

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