NEWS IN A NUTSHELL
Ambassador Katherine Tai Visits Blue Diamond , Sacramento Blue Diamond Growers was invited by Secretary Karen Ross, CDFA, to host a tour and industry roundtable discussion with Ambassador Katherine Tai, USTR, and Director Dee Dee Myers, GO-Biz.
On Friday, September 8, 2023, Blue Diamond , Sacramento received one of its highest- profile visitors to date: United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador Katherine Tai toured Blue Diamond ’s manufacturing and innovation facilities before meeting with representatives from California’s agricultural industry. Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), and Dee Dee Myers, Director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), accompanied Ambassador Tai during her visit to Blue Diamond , Sacramento.
(from left to right) Mel Machado, Blue Diamond Vice President, Member Relations, Raj Joshi, Blue Diamond Chief Growth Officer, Ambassador Katherine Tai, USTR, Alicia Rockwell, Blue Diamond Chief Government Affairs Officer, Secretary Karen Ross, CDFA, Director Dee Dee Myers, GO-Biz. Photo credit: USTR
The United States Trade Representative, which is an Executive Office of the President, is responsible for developing and coordinating U.S. trade at the international level. As an Ambassador of the USTR, Ambassador Tai oversees economic negotiations with other countries as well as representing the interests of both the U.S. economy and the larger international community. Ambassador Tai and the USTR work to expand market access to American goods and services, provide leadership and expertise on
international trade agreements, lead negotiations that affect U.S. trade policies, and more. The savviest of readers might remember that in the July/August issue of Almond Facts we covered one of Ambassador Tai’s recent successes, specifically for the almond industry: through Ambassador Tai’s efforts, extra tariffs and fees imposed by India on U.S. almonds were removed in June, helping to increase California’s almond exports to India, one of the largest almond markets in the world.
Ambassador Tai tastes a wide array of Blue Diamond products. Photo credit: USTR
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ALMOND FACTS
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