The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be embarking on a record, SEVEN agribusiness trade missions in 2020 to foster trade relationships and diversify export opportunities for America’s farmers and ranchers. The trade missions will begin in March with a trip to the North African countries of Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. That will be followed by a trade trip to the Philippines in April.
Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney said that the trade missions in 2019 were a tremendous success. McKinney noted that the six USDA trips for the year allowed more than 170 U.S. companies and organizations to conduct more than 3,000 one-on-one meetings with buyers in foreign markets.
The 2020 trade trips will include several first-time destinations. U.S. trade representatives will be stopping in Spain and Portugal in June, the United Kingdom in September, and Australia and New Zealand in October. The trade missions are scheduled to conclude in November with a trip to Peru, followed by a trade mission to the United Arab Emirates for the first time.
Marketing and trade experts from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service evaluate and select a combination of new and growing markets that offer the best prospects for U.S. agricultural farm and food exports. McKinney highlighted the 2019 trade trips as being responsible for generating more than $78 million in projected 12-month sales for U.S. ag businesses.
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