The U.S. pork industry is gearing up to commence pork shipments to India, following significant efforts to reform the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program that facilitated market access nearly two years ago.
Randy Spronk, former president of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), addressed Congress on behalf of the organization, advocating for GSP program reform. The GSP program provides nonreciprocal, duty-free treatment for goods exported to the U.S. from beneficiary developing countries. This program had expired on December 31, 2020.
Spronk highlighted that the NPPC supports the GSP program due to its potential to bolster developing countries’ economies and purchasing power, as well as its role as a vital trade enforcement tool. Notably, GSP played a pivotal role in gaining market access for U.S. pork in India, an agreement reached in January 2022. India had previously banned U.S. pork based on what the NPPC termed “scientifically unjustified” concerns related to ruminant feeding and trichinosis.
“Ultimately, the U.S. government used the threat of revoking GSP benefits as leverage and successfully resolved the numerous issues,” Spronk stated in his prepared testimony. He further mentioned, “At present, the U.S. pork industry is actively working on its inaugural shipment of U.S. pork to India.”
The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has estimated that U.S. pork exports to India could potentially amount to between $750,000 and $1 million.
