Agricultural Trade Negotiations

Three panels of witnesses testified about the state of agricultural negotiations in multi-year global trade talks named the “Doha Development Round” for Doha, Qatar, where the current series launched in 2001. They addressed initiatives to increase trade and strengthen economies through open markets in developing countries, levels of U.S. commodities exports to various regions and countries, competing development proposals by European Union countries, existing and threatened trade barriers, and the next steps to be negotiated in a ministerial conference in Hong Kong. The last five minutes of panel 2 with Mr. Willey and Mr. Caspers are included at the beginning of this program. The third panel, with Shaffer, Kappelman and Phillips, is complete. close