Islam Siddiqui
Islam Siddiqui, the chief agriculture negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, left his position on Friday.

In a letter to President Barack Obama, Siddiqui, who had previously announced his intention to step down, noted that U.S. food and agriculture exports have soared during the Obama administration.

Siddiqui also noted that the administration implemented the agricultural provisions of the free trade agreements between the United States and Panama, Korea and Colombia, restored market access for U.S. poultry in Russia and negotiated the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement that allowed Russia to join the World Trade Organization.

Siddiqui noted that in the last three years USTR has also concluded equivalency agreements on trade in organic products with Japan and the European Union, negotaited the agreement with Brazil that delayed market retaliation over the World Trade Organization cotton case and negotiated for market access on beef in Asia, Mexico and the European Union.

Obama has nominated Darcy Vetter, a deputy undersecretary of Agriculture for farm and foreign agricultural services, as chief agriculture negotiator, a position that carries ambassadorial rank.