U.S. SENATE PANEL COULD CONSIDER TRADE MEASURE The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee may take up a bill tomorrow that would strengthen the activities of U.S. agricultural trade teams in selected developing countries, committee staff said. The measure, sponsored by committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. John Melcher (D-Mont.), would establish trade teams of between six and nine persons drawn from federal agencies and private voluntary organizations, staff said. The trade missions would seek to generate interest in the U.S. government's food donation and commercial programs -- PL480, Section 416, export credit and export enhancement -- and upon return be required to advocate extension of concessional or commercial benefits to interested countries. The trade teams would be made up of representatives of the U.S. Agriculture Department, State Department, the Agency for International Development and private voluntary organizations such as U.S. Wheat Associates. The bill would require teams within six months to visit seven countries: Mexico, Philippines, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Senegal and Nigeria. Within one year after passage of the measure, another eight countries would have to be visited: Peru, Kenya, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Venezuela, Tunisia and Morocco. Other countries could be added to the list. Senate staff members said the bill, still in the drafting stages, had broad support and was expected to be approved by the committee tomorrow.