The House approval of permanent normal trade relations with China brought the expected positive reactions from agricultural quarters. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman called it "an important victory" for farmers and the entire U.S. population. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Larry Combest (R-TX) said the 237-197 vote was "a decision to improve our access to the huge Chinese market rather than cede that market to the competitors of U.S. agriculture."

"While there is no panacea for the low prices and tough times our farmers face," said Glickman, "expanded trade will certainly help. In fact, we estimate that the passage of PNTR for China will help boost American farm exports by $2 billion per year by 2005."

Combest cited the same $2 billion projection in his statement. "China represents an agriculture market that is vital to the long-term success of American farmers and ranchers," he said. "Agriculture trade with China can strengthen development of private enterprise in that country and bring China more fully into world trade membership."

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said the House decision "will prove to be one of the watershed trade votes of the 21^st century for cattle producers. The greatest thing that can be said about this vote is that it makes sense. Cattle producers have worked hard to get their representatives to support this legislation which gives them access to 20% of the world’s consumers."

Members of the Agriculture Coalition for U.S.-China Trade said the vote "presages a new era of economic opportunity" for farmers. Final passage will mean that "for the first time, our producers will have a real opportunity to sell in China, and we will compete equally with other nations for that business." The coalition includes more than 80 agriculture related groups.

National Pork Producers Council President Craig Jarolimek said it was "the single greatest export opportunity for American pork producers." China’s tariffs on frozen pork variety meats and frozen pork muscle meats will be phased down to 12% over four years once China is a member of the World Trade Organization.

Terry Detrick, National Association of Wheat Growers president, said the "impressive effort" by agriculture interests should demonstrate "how important China PNTR is to agriculture but also the U.S. economy."

For American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman, PNTR for China will mean "increased exports of U.S. farm products at a time when our farm economy needs a boost." Chine, he added, "is broadly recognized as the most important growth market for U.S. agricultural exports."