Paraguay's Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano met Monday in Washington with Jeffrey Goettman, Deputy US Trade Representative, to negotiate a fixed export quota for Paraguayan beef to the US market.
Paraguay already has sanitary authorization to export beef to the US, but creating a specific quota would allow local producers to compete under more favorable conditions and ensure steady shipment volumes to one of the world's largest economies.
The meeting continues efforts initiated by President Santiago Peña, who had already addressed the issue in two previous meetings with the US trade representation, facilitating progress in technical and political dialogue.
During the meeting, the functioning of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) was also reviewed. TIFA is the legal instrument governing bilateral trade relations and aims to remove barriers to boost exchange between the two countries.
Participants included Paraguayan Ambassador to the US Gustavo Leite and President of the National Service for Quality and Animal Health (Senacsa) José Carlos Martin, who leads the technical and sanitary side of the process. On the US side, Chief Agricultural Negotiator Julie Callahan, Deputy Assistant Trade Representative for the Western Hemisphere Daniel Watson, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Latin America Courtney Smothers were present, among others.