Under Secretary McKinney to Lead U.S. Exporters on Trade Mission to Colombia

  |   News Release
Contact: press@fas.usda.gov or (202) 720-7115
 
WASHINGTON, May 31, 2019 – Colombia and Panama are among the fastest-growing markets in the Western Hemisphere for U.S. farm and food products. American exporters seeking to tap that potential will join Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney in Bogotá for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s largest-ever international trade mission June 4-7.
 
“The record size of this trade mission delegation demonstrates the degree of U.S. exporter interest in these markets,” McKinney said. “I’m thrilled that representatives from 54 agribusiness and associations and six state departments of agriculture are on board and ready to connect with potential customers from both Colombia and Panama.”
 
The United States entered into free trade agreements with both countries in 2012 and, since then, agricultural export growth has been robust.
 
“Our food and farm exports to Colombia have nearly tripled, from $1.1 billion in 2012 to a record $2.9 billion in 2018. And while Panama’s a much smaller market, we’ve also seen our exports grow significantly, from $490 million in 2012 to $683 million last year,” McKinney said.
 
In addition to representatives from the following companies and organizations, McKinney will be joined by Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Petersen, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring, and officials from the Georgia, Idaho, Missouri and Montana departments of agriculture.
 
  1. Agropur US, Appleton, Wis.
  2. Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Juneau, Alaska
  3. Alltech, Nicholasville, Ky.
  4. American Paint Horse Association, Fort Worth, Texas
  5. American Peanut Council, Alexandria, Va.
  6. Blue Diamond Growers, Sacramento, Calif.
  7. Bridgepathway LLC, Jericho, N.Y.
  8. Clarkson Grain Company, Inc., Cerro Gordo, Ill.
  9. Columbus Vegetable Oils, Des Plaines, Ill.
  10. Cornerstone Chaldees LLC, Marion, Ky.
  11. Crider Foods, Stillmore, Ga.
  12. Crown Products, Inc. Metairie, La.
  13. Eastern Quality Foods, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
  14. F3 Vineyards Inc., Las Vegas, Nev.
  15. Federated Group, Arlington Heights, Ill.
  16. Fieldstone Meats of Alabama, Inc., Oneonta, Ala.
  17. Food Export Association of the Midwest USA, Chicago, Ill.
  18. Global Export Marketing Co. Ltd., New York, N.Y.
  19. JJ Martin Group LLC, Newark, N.J.
  20. JM Grain, Garrison, N.D.
  21. K&N's Foods USA LLC, Fulton, N.Y.
  22. Leprino Foods, Denver, Colo.
  23. Metafoods, LLC, Atlanta, Ga.
  24. Mid Valley Nut Company, Hughson, Calif.
  25. Minnesota Beef Council, Maple Plain, Minn.
  26. Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Shakopee, Minn.
  27. Minnesota Farm Bureau, Eagan, Minn.
  28. Minnesota Farmers Union, St. Paul, Minn.
  29. Minnesota Pork Producers Association, Mankato, Minn.
  30. Minnesota Pork Board, Mankato, Minn.
  31. Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, Mankato, Minn. 
  32. Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, Mankato, Minn.
  33. Minnesota Turkey Research and Promotion Council, Buffalo, Minn.
  34. Mountain States Oilseeds LLC, American Falls, Idaho
  35. National Cotton Council of America, Cordova, Tenn.
  36. Riviana Foods Inc., Houston, Texas
  37. Rosina Food Products, Inc., Buffalo, N.Y.
  38. Sagamore Spirit, Baltimore, Md.
  39. Salsa God, LLC, New York, N.Y.
  40. Select Foods, Delray Beach, Fla.
  41. Shining Ocean, Inc., Sumner, Wash.
  42. TAMA Corporation, Doral, Fla.
  43. Tomex Foods, Inc., Lombard, Ill.
  44. University of Minnesota Extension, St. Paul, Minn.
  45. U.S. Dairy Export Council, Arlington, Va.
  46. U.S. Grains Council, Washington, D.C.
  47. U.S. Livestock Genetics Export, Inc., Mount Horeb, Wis.
  48. U.S. Soybean Export Council, Chesterfield, Mo.
  49. U.S. Wheat Associates, Arlington, Va.
  50. USA Rice Federation, Arlington, Va.
  51. Virginia Natural Beef Inc., Lexington, Va.
  52. Whistling Andy Distilling, Bigfork, Mont.
  53. Western United States Agricultural Trade Association, Vancouver, Wash.
  54. Zafi Beverages & Technologies, Bensenville, Ill.

Learn more about this and other USDA trade missions by visiting https://www.fas.usda.gov/topics/trade-missions and following FAS on Twitter at @USDAForeignAg.

NOTE TO REPORTERS:

Under Secretary McKinney will hold a teleconference from Bogotá with U.S. media on Wednesday, June 5 at 3:30 p.m., EDT. Reporters wishing to participate must RSVP to press@fas.usda.gov by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4.

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Exporting, Trade Missions
Western Hemisphere, Colombia, Panama

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