Statement of Joseph W. Glauber Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute before the Senate Finance Committee

Global agricultural trade has seen tremendous growth since creation of the WTO in 1995 and US agriculture has been a major beneficiary of the rules-based system that the United States and others helped create. The challenges to meet growing global food demand include population and income growth and supply uncertainties complicated by a changing climate, environmental pressures and water scarcity. All of those point to the increasing importance of trade and need for a more, not less, open trading system. A strong WTO is critical to helping meet future food needs.