KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Andrew Muhammad, agricultural trade expert and Blasingame Chair of Excellence in Agricultural Policy at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA), has been appointed to the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee, where he will provide advice to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on international agricultural trade issues.
Specifically, the committee provides information and advice concerning the administration of trade policy, including the enforcement of existing trade agreements, as well as negotiating objectives for new trade agreements.
International trade agreement tensions and negotiations demonstrate the intrinsic value of agricultural trade think tanks and strategic navigation. Muhammad has conducted extensive economic analyses regarding tariffs and international trade agreements and served as a trusted agricultural trade expert to various media outlets such as Forbes and Bloomberg.
“Serving on the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee is an excellent opportunity that will benefit UTIA as well as agricultural, food and forestry interests in Tennessee,” said Muhammad. “I look forward to working with industry leaders and policy makers in helping to develop and implement trade policy to benefit U.S. food and agriculture.”
Muhammed is the only committee member who is also serving as a member of the faculty at a land-grant university.
The advisory committee system was established by Congress in 1974 to ensure that U.S. agricultural trade policy objectives reflect U.S. public- and private-sector commercial and economic interests. A total of 140 private-sector members have been appointed to this committee and to six technical committees focused on specific agricultural sectors. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative manage the committees.
Muhammad will serve on the advisory committee through June 15, 2023.
Joining the faculty of UTIA’s Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics in 2018, Muhammad assists the state and nation’s agricultural decision makers in the evaluation of policies and programs dealing with agricultural commodities, food and international trade, as well as advocating for state and regional agricultural opportunities. His current research focuses on agricultural trade and trade policy, effects of trade on developing countries, and global food demand.
Through its mission of research, teaching and Extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. ag.tennessee.edu.