Inching closer to a deal

Press reports indicate South Korea and the U.S. are inching closer to a deal on a free trade agreement, with rice and beef still to be resolved.

Yesterday I visited with Mark Powers of the Northwest Horticultural Council, recently returned form Seoul. Thankfully, he saw no rampaging farmers at his hotel, but that doesn't mean South Korean farmers are happy.

"My takeaway is that all the ag issues are tough, it doesn't matter which one you choose," he said. Whether citrus, apples, pears, grapes, beef or rice, everything is contested. Powers said he visited a retailer in South Korea where the best apples were priced at $8 to $10 U.S. dollars each. Obviously, consumers there are in need of some relief.

While the Doha talks languish, Chile continues to be active in setting up free trade deals - most recently announcing a pact with Japan.