ABU DHABI. Oct 9 The United States has stepped up a drive to boost farm exports to wealthy-Gulf Arab States In a bid to cut persistent trade deficit caused by Its large oil Imports from the region, reports AFP

The world's leading farm exporter Is banking on Its strong post-war relationship with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC| stales and ■ steady growth In their food Imports given their arid desert land

Annual US farm exports to the six nation Gulf alliance have almost doubled to around one billion dollar since 1985 and officials expect the figure to Increase further after the opening of an agriculture office tn the region.

The agricultural trade office was opened in Dubai last mouth and It covers Bahrain. Kuwait. Oman. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

remaining G^C njember.

Saudi Arabia. Is covered by an office in Riyadh.

US farm supplies to Gulf states have steadily Increased and are expected to continue to grow in future given their competitiveness." a statement Issued Friday by the US embassy sakl

The opening of the office In Dubai will help boost those ex ports as tile emirate la the main commercial centre tn the Gulf

Official figures show US farm exports accounted for more than 10 per cent of the total exports of 421 billion dol lar on 1991 Japan Is the biggest market for US food ex |x>rts. estimated at eight billion dollar

GCC slates depend heavily on food imports, with their bill rising to eight billion dollar In 1992 from seven billion dollar in 1990 and 8.5 billion dollar in 1985. according to official Gulf figures

Although they have achKutl

self sufficiency In some products they remain heavily reliant on other sectors. In 1991. the GCC's Imports of cereal stood at 2 6 million tonnes while Imports of rice stood at 770.000 tonnes, meat al 400.000 tonnes, dairy al 250.000 tonnes and sugar at 470.000 tonnes

Most of their food imports come from the United Stales. France. Britain. New Zealand. India South Korea. China and Australia, which alone supplies the nix members with more than 700.000 live sheep every year

The Gulf Is a good market for neverai reasons.- the UAE Daily Al Bayan on Friday quoted Edwin Porter, director of the Dubai agriculture office, as saying

He said US food manufacturers were culling prices to face competition In the Gulf, mainly from Ihe European < ouununity and Australia