As part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s commitment to expanding and diversifying global market opportunities for U.S. agriculture, the Department will sponsor four additional international trade missions in 2022, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced at the recent Commodity Classic in New Orleans.
Vilsack recently returned from the United Arab Emirates, where he led USDA’s first overseas trade mission since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was joined by representatives from more than 40 U.S. businesses, farm organizations, and state departments of agriculture, who connected with potential customers from across the Middle East and North Africa. Those connections resulted in more than $7.6 million in projected 12-month sales to date.
“Each year, the Foreign Agricultural Service’s international team of marketing and trade experts pinpoint new and growing global markets that offer the top-notch prospects for U.S. exporters,” Vilsack said. “Then, during our trade missions, we help those exporters—of everything from gourmet food products, to biofuels, to fresh produce, to livestock genetics—connect with prospective customers and establish or expand their international footprint. And the results speak for themselves.”
While final dates are subject to confirmation, the remaining trade missions scheduled for 2022 are:
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London, United Kingdom: June 20 to 23;
- Manila, Philippines: July 18 to 21;
- Nairobi, Kenya (including buyers from across East Africa): Oct. 31 to Nov. 3; and
- Madrid, Spain (including buyers from Portugal): Nov. 29 to Dec. 3.
“The events of the last few years have certainly underscored the importance of diversifying our agricultural export markets. While we remain committed to our established customer base around the world, we are also looking around the corner to where new growth opportunities lie—in places like Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, where rising incomes and expanding middle classes are creating new demand for high-quality, American-made food and farm products,” Vilsack said.
U.S. agricultural exports reached an all-time high in 2021, topping $177 billion. There were 28 markets, in every corner of the globe, where those exports exceeded $1 billion, demonstrating the broad global appeal of U.S. products.
Additional information about USDA trade missions can be found at https://www.fas.usda.gov/topics/trade-missions. To receive email updates, go to https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/usdafas/subscriber/new, enter your contact information, and select the “Trade Missions” topic.
To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.