Today, President Clinton will visit the Port of Seattle to highlight the expanded opportunities for American farmers through agricultural trade. American agricultural production far outweighs domestic consumption, meaning that our farmers and ranchers rely on overseas markets to sustain their livelihoods. Expanding U.S. agricultural trade will not only boost their incomes, but also lift the overall American economy. Agriculture is twice as dependent on exports as the overall economy. Agricultural exports support nearly 750,000 American jobs on and off the farm.
Exports represent approximately one quarter of total U.S. agricultural production.
Trade-dependent agricultural jobs pay higher than average wages and support a wide range of professions in both urban and rural communities. But American apples face tariffs as high as 45 percent overseas. American apple growers stand to gain millions of dollars in increased sales and thousands of new jobs if the new Round of trade negotiations is successful in reducing tariffs. Trade supports 25,800 jobs on and off the farm in Washington. The state's reliance on agricultural exports rose from 26 percent of farm cash receipts in 1991 to 32 percent this year.