CARGILL OFFICIAL DEFENDS CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS The use of generic in-kind commodity certificates has helped ease storage problems and is a necessary part of export promotion programs, a senior executive for the world's largest grain company said. Testifying before the House Agriculture subcommittee on wheat, soybeans and feedgrains, Robbin Johnson, vice president of Cargill, Inc., disputed claims that U.S. grain companies have made huge profits from certificate trading. "The certs program is not in any way a windfall to the trade," he said. Johnson said that Cargill has been dealing with a two pct spread in certificate transactions, and that this is within the normal grain marketing levels. Johnson recognized current concern over the cost of certificates as compared to cash, but said that critics need to look more closely at the savings caused by certs, noting for example that widespread use of certs in the PIK and Roll marketing technique last summer helped ease storage costs. Certificates are also an important part of any export promotion program, he said. "The more you look at ways to expand export markets, the more you have to look at ways to expand certs to put more grain into the market to meet demand," he said. Subcommittee chairman Dan Glickman (D-Kans.) said his committee would be looking at the certificate program later this year and studying the General Accounting Office report on certificate costs.