U.S. WHEAT GROUPS CALL FOR GLOBAL ACTION

  All major grain producing countries
  must do their part to help reduce global surpluses and the
  recent Australian farm policy proposals are flawed, two U.S.
  wheat organizations said.
      The recent Australian proposals were a good starting point
  for discussions, "but we do not want the Australians to feel
  they are alone in developing an agenda for discussions" on world
  grain trade, the president of the National Association of Wheat
  Growers, NAWG, and the chairman of U.S. Wheat Associates said
  in a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Richard Lyng and U.S.
  Trade Representative Clayton Yeutter.
      Future discussions on international wheat trade should
  include three topics -- a commitment to privatization of
  government-run export trading entities, a commitment to public
  disclosure of sales and other terms if government entities are
  involved, and a recognition that supply reductions by the U.S.
  have kept world prices higher than they otherwise would be, the
  two organizations said 
      While the Australian proposals are welcome the two
  organizations said they are not in total agreement with their
  assessments.
      Australia's proposals, which aim to reduce U.S. target
  prices and "quarantine" U.S. wheat stocks, would continue to
  place the burden of supply adjustment and reform on U.S.
  farmers, they said.
        Other countries, including Australia, have benefitted
  from the higher world prices that have resulted from past U.S.
  acreage and crop reduction programs, the organizations said.
      "We will not continue to hurt ourselves economically -- and
  subsidize foreign wheat production -- by unilaterally stocking
  grain and changing programs which protect our growers," Jim
  Miller, president of NAWG said.
      "We sincerely hope for some type of agreement among the
  world's major grain producing nations to reduce stocks and
  restore profitability to agriculture," Miller said.
  

