Source:  Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 3/29/10

United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk today announced Dr. Isi Siddiqui is USTR's new chief agricultural negotiator. Siddiqui already had been pegged for the position and was awaiting Senate confirmation but was among 15 recess appointments made by President Obama over the weekend.

"If we want to double American exports in the next five years, we have to seize every opportunity to grow agricultural exports, as well as exports of goods and services," Kirk said in a news release. "Isi is going to make sure we don't leave any of those opportunities on the table."

Siddiqui currently serves as a consultant to Kirk. He formerly served as vice president for science and regulatory affairs and vice president for agricultural biotechnology and trade at CropLife America. From 1997 to 2001, Siddiqui served in various capacities in the Clinton Administration at USDA as under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, senior trade advisor to Secretary Dan Glickman and deputy under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs. He worked closely with the USTR and represented USDA in bilateral, regional and multilateral agricultural trade negotiations.

From 2004 to 2009, Siddiqui served on the U.S. Department of Commerce's Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, and Health/Science Products & Services, which advises the secretary of commerce and USTR on international trade issues related to these sectors.

Before joining USDA, Dr. Siddiqui spent 28 years with the California Department of Food and Agriculture. He received a B.S. degree in plant protection from Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University in Pantnagar, India, as well as M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in plant pathology, both from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

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