Kansas Republican Congressman PatRoberts urged the Reagan administration to offer export
enhancement program, eep, subsidies to the Soviet Union.
    Speaking at a House foreign agriculture subcommittee,
Roberts said the U.S. has offered eep to China and Poland, and
should also include the Soviet Union.
    Rep. Roberts said there had been some talk that the issue
of an eep to Moscow had not been raised within the Reagan
administration recently because Secretary of State George
Shultz was out of the country.
    "That very well may be the case," said Tom Kay, U.S.
Agriculture Department Foreign Agricultural Service
administrator. However, Kay told Reuters later that his reply
to Roberts was not based on any particular knowledge.
    Rep. Roberts urged Kay to convey to top officials of the
USDA that some in Congress favor a wheat eep to Moscow.
    "I'd be delighted to deliver the message," Kay replied.
    Earlier, Kay had repeated Agriculture Secretary Richard
Lyng's statement last week that "the door is not yet closed on
an eep to the Soviet Union."
 Reuter
