Abstract
In 1995, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the promotion of exporting high-value agricultural products (HVP) in its Long-term Agricultural Trade Strategy (LATS). The USDA considered this strategy as a trump to increase exports in the post-Uruguay Round. This paper examines the emergence and development of the U.S. HVP export policy post 1980s. This paper investigates the theme from two angles. The first considers the position of HVP export among all U.S. agricultural and food exports. The second angle considers the meaning of the HVP policy for U.S. agribusiness. By analyzing these points, the mean of the new situation will be proven. The paper concludes first, that the U.S. federal government needs HVP export promotion in order to win European Union (EU) HVP markets, second, that U.S. agribusiness aims to profit from a value added formation, and finally, that the U.S. agricultural trade policy has shifted its focus from -bulk- to -bulk:HVP-.
