WASHINGTON – Undersecretary for the US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, Ted McKinney, plans to lead an agribusiness trade mission to India Oct. 30 through Nov. 3. This will be McKinney’s first international trip as undersecretary. He will head a delegation of approximately 50 business, trade association and state government leaders who are seeking to grow US agricultural exports to the country.
“US agricultural exports to India have grown nearly 250 percent over the past decade, but the country’s barriers impede exports of many of our products,” McKinney said in a statement. “On this trip, I look forward to not only promoting US farm and food products, but also to meeting with my Indian government counterparts to build relationships and address key trade policy issues in an effort to improve American access to this important market.”
Participants will visit New Delhi and Mumbai, connect with potential customers and learn first-hand about local market conditions. In-country staff from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service will set up meetings between US delegates and more than 150 Indian companies, as well as with importers from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who will travel to India for the mission. Participants will also meet with government and industry officials and visit local processing facilities and retail outlets.
Those participating in the mission include Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture Commissioner Dave Frederickson and North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring Also, the following companies and organizations will be represented:
1. Al Khayrat International, USA, Piscataway, New Jersey
2. Almond Board of California, Modesto, California
3. America’s Best Genetics, West Lafayette, Indiana
4. American Embryo Transfer Association, Champaign, Illinois
5. American Seed Trade Association, Alexandria, Virginia
6. Badger State Fruit Processing, Inc., Pittsville, Wisconsin
7. Blue Diamond Growers, Sacramento, California
8. California Olive Committee, Fresno, California
9. CHS Inc., Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota
10. Global Agro Commodities, LLC, Chester, Montana
11. Global Export Marketing Co., Ltd., New York, New York
12. Global Processing, Inc., Kanawha, Iowa
13. Global Tastes, Irvine, California
14. Growth Energy, Washington, D.C.
15. Hudson Exports, Inc., Edison, New Jersey
16. JM Grain, Garrison, North Dakota
17. LT Foods, Ltd., Cypress, California
18. Marquis Energy, Hennepin, Illinois
19. Pacific Valley Foods, Inc., Bellevue, Washington
20. POET, LLC, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
21. Premium Peanut, LLC, Douglas, Georgia
22. Reliance Agro, Missouri, Texas
23. Renewable Fuels Association, Washington, D.C.
24. Scoular, Minneapolis, Minnesota
25. The Ginger People, Marina, California
26. The Redwood Group, Mission, Kansas
27. U.S. Grains Council, Washington, D.C.
28. U.S. Livestock Genetics Export, Inc., Mount Horeb, Wisconsin
29. U.S. Soybean Export Council, Chesterfield, Missouri
Visit https://www.fas.usda.gov/topics/trade-missions to learn more about USDA trade missions.
