U.S. Food Aid Exports
The Role of Cargo Preference Gao ID: T-GGD-93-34 June 17, 1993In April 1993, the White House announced the availability of $700 million in agricultural credits to Russia under the Food for Progress Program. Considerable press interest has focused on the additional cost of using U.S.- rather than foreign-flagged ships to transport at least 75 percent of the commodities, as required by the cargo preference laws. This testimony discusses the costs involved in using U.S.-flagged vessels, declines in the number of U.S.-flagged vessels, and the U.S. experience in shipping cargo during the Persian Gulf War.