If ever there was a time to understand how trade works, this was it. But trade is not always well understood. In other words, if trade increases in one place, they believe it's taking away from somewhere else. The company has launched an education initiative that will attempt to state the case for trade. On this issue, every Cargill employee has a role and a stake.
Trade works because it puts people to work and creates jobs.
Trade works because it is a powerful engine of economic growth. A Harvard study of 117 countries found that, between 1970 and 1989, those with more open economies grew at an annual rate of 4.5 percent compared with those with relatively closed economies, which grew at 0.7 percent. The United States is a good example of growth through trade. Today, it accounts for 23 percent of the GDP, a measure of all economic activities. That, he added, fits Cargill's corporate vision of helping to raise living standards by delivering increased value to producers and consumers.