AGRICULTURE REPORT - Future of the Central American Free Tra

AGRICULTURE REPORT - Future of the Central American Free Trade Agreement Unclear in Washington
By Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Tuesday, May 03, 2005

I'm Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

 
 
President Bush is urging Congress to pass the Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA. Under CAFTA the United States would join the Dominican Republic and five Central American countries. The five are Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador.

The agreement deals with agriculture and all other trade. It requires the nations to reduce or end import taxes on most products. It also requires them to enforce their own labor¹ and environmental laws.

Support among lawmakers in Washington is mixed. Democrats² mostly oppose the agreement. So do a number of Republicans³, who control Congress. But the president says Congress needs to pass the agreement to create jobs and strengthen democracy in the Americas.

The Bush administration says the United States has about thirty-two thousand million dollars a year in trade with CAFTA nations. The Office of the Trade Representative in Washington says United States farmers will gain new markets for their goods. And it says many Central American agricultural products like coffee and tropical fruit do not compete with American products.

In two thousand three, CAFTA nations imported about forty-one percent of their agricultural products from the United States. But that was down from fifty-four percent ten years ago.

CAFTA will immediately remove import taxes on grapefruit, apples, almonds and many other fruits and nuts. Other tariffs⁴ will be reduced over five, ten or fifteen years.

But CAFTA will not remove all tariffs. Sugar will remain protected in the United States. The agreement establishes sugar export limits for each country. The Trade Representative's Office says the new limits represent less than two percent of United States sugar production.

The United States sugar industry opposes CAFTA. Other opponents include textile industry groups that worry about the risk of job losses. Labor groups say the free trade agreement does not protect American jobs or labor rights. And environmental groups say the agreement is weak on protecting the environment.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns praises CAFTA as good for American farmers. He says CAFTA nations can now place high tariffs on goods from the United States, yet escape duties on most of their own products.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter. I'm Gwen Outen.

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 republicans   

拥护共和政体者，共和主义者( republican的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Republicans got shellacked in the elections. 共和党在选举中一败涂地。
• The latest poll gives the Republicans a 5％ lead. 最近的民意调查结果表明共和党领先了五个百分点。

4 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。