Much of this growth has been attributed to efforts to open markets through trade agreements and multilateral trade negotiations, increasing per capita income in the rest of the world, production shortfalls in key regions, a weaker U.S. dollar and greater exports of value-added products. To guarantee the continuation of this trend, market expansion must be allowed to continue. Good trade agreements are critical to opening markets . The rapidly expanding global economy presents enormous opportunities for farm families and agribusinesses. In a world where over 95 percent of the world's consumers live outside of the United States, and where U.S. agriculture already depends on exports for one third of all sales, we must have new and expanded markets.
Commercial competitiveness is critical to our position of global leadership .
Europe, Canada, China, Japan and others are forging preferential commercial alliances with emerging markets, which put American exports at a disadvantage. Those trade alliances also play a vital role in defining strategic relationships between countries and regions. Exports create American jobs. Agriculture depends on exports for one-third of all sales. If we are to raise our standard of living, we must continue creating jobs through exports.