In a Feb. 4 speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg laid out the elements of the “new approach” the agency is adopting to ensure the safety of imported food and drug products. Hamburg said FDA is “moving from a system that places most of the… Continue reading »
Feb
09
Feb
09
MEXICO TRUCKS MIGHT ROLL…..MAYBE
U.S. borders may soon be opening up to allow more trade with Mexico and for some exporters it can’t happen fast enough. In March of 2009, lawmakers canceled funding for a test program pioneered by the Bush administration that allowed Mexican long-haul trucks into the United states, because of safety and security concerns. But Mexico… Continue reading »
Feb
04
MEXICAN TRUCK BAN/HIGHER IMPORT TARIFFS
Tariffs on U.S. agricultural exports to Mexico over the past 11 months are weighing on sales, and a coalition of industry advocates and sympathetic Democratic lawmakers are pushing the Obama administration to solve the Mexican truck dispute that caused the trade friction. In a Jan. 29 letter to members of Congress, Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Calif.,… Continue reading »
Feb
03
2010 GOOD YEAR FOR MEXICO GROWTH
Economists following Mexico’s economy are now forecasting higher growth and more benign inflation this year, taking pressure off the central bank to raise interest rates. A monthly poll by the central bank showed economists on average expect the economy will grow 3.3 percent this year, higher than a forecast of 3.1 percent in the previous… Continue reading »
Feb
03
NAFTA NOT TO BLAME
Participants at a recent conference in Washington blamed Mexico’s failure to achieve above-average economic growth in the past decade on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This criticism is unfair and unwise. The NAFTA agreement is one of the best examples in recent history of a successful, mainstream, and bipartisan project. According to the… Continue reading »