North Dakota Trade Office : Upcoming Trade Missions 2018

The North Dakota Trade Office (NDTO) is excited to announce four upcoming trade missions. These trade missions will be focused on North Dakota's agricultural products and equipment, and each will include opportunities for funding. Below is a list of the events taking place in the months ahead.

• NDTO's Spain & Italy Trade Mission - March 5 - 9, 2018

• Focus: specialty crops
• Location: Madrid, Spain and Naples, Italy
• NDTO will coordinate in-country meetings and events for all participants. NDTO is partnering with the Foreign Ag Service and U.S. Dry Pea and Lentil Council to offer educational and networking meetings as well as one-on-one meetings with buyers.
• Spain is the second largest consumer of pulses in the EU. Pulses are considered an affordable food staple used in Spanish dishes, with upper middle-class households consume the most pulses.
• Italy has increased its import of beans, lentils and chickpeas over the last 5 years. Pulses are being used as food ingredients due to the health benefits.
• Specialty Crop Grant funding is available (http://ndto.com/specialty-crop-grant/)
• For more information, contact Jiwon Kim ([e-mail]) or Lindsey Warner ([e-mail])

• North Dakota - Indonesia Soybean Trade Mission - March 18 - 22, 2018

• Focus: food grade, identity-preserved soybeans
• Location: Surabaya, Indonesia
• North Dakota companies will travel to the U.S. Soybean Export Council's (USSEC) Soy Food Symposium. NDTO is working with USSEC to arrange one-on-one meetings between North Dakota companies and Indonesian soybean buyers. Trade mission delegates will also attend a tour of the Surabaya market and visit soyfood companies.
• Soybeans and soyfoods are widely popular in Indonesia. Indonesian food companies prefer U.S. soybeans due to their consistent size, color, quality and suitability for tempeh and tofu. The Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture continues efforts to make Indonesia self-sufficient in soybeans but according to the USDA Foreign Ag Service, this is unrealistic and unattainable. Soybean consumption continues to grow along with the population.
• STEP funding available for small businesses (http://ndto.com/step-nd/)
• For more information, contact Jiwon Kim at [e-mail]

• North Dakota- China Soybean Trade Mission - April 12-14, 2018

• Focus: food grade, identity-preserved soybeans
• Location: Shangahi, China
• North Dakota companies will travel to Shanghai to attend the Bean Product Committee of China's (BPCC) 2018 China Soyfood Processing Equipment Conference & Exhibition. A representative from the Northern Crops Institute will make a presentation regarding North Dakota soybeans to conference attendees. The mission will be supported by the USDA's Foreign Ag Service.
• This trade mission will also recruit Chinese soybean buyers to visit North Dakota during a reverse trade mission in August 2018.
• China's food-grade soybean market has huge potential. According to BPCC, about 11 million tons of food-grade soybeans are currently used in the Chinese food industry, with that number to rise to 18 million tons by 2020.
• STEP funding available for small businesses (http://ndto.com/step-nd/)
• For more information, contact Jiwon Kim at [e-mail]

• North Dakota - Ukraine: USA Pavilion at AGRO 2018, June 6 - 9, 2018

• Focus: agricultural equipment
• Location: Kiev, Ukraine
• North Dakota companies will travel to the AGRO 2018 International Agricultural Exhibition, the largest agricultural exhibition of the CIS and Eastern Europe. Companies may purchase booth space within the U.S. Commercial Service's USA pavilion. A USA Pavilion catalogue promotion is also available.
• According to the U.S. Commercial Service, Ukraine's agribusiness sector is the most promising sector of the country's economy. Agricultural land covers 70% of the country and generates 12% of its GDP. Ukraine is the world's largest exporter of sunflower oil, third largest exporter of barley, fourth largest exporter of corn and sixth largest exporter of wheat. Political and financial stability, a strengthened economy and capital investment in agriculture, along with an under-equipped agricultural sector have made Ukraine a promising market.
• STEP funding available for small businesses (http://ndto.com/step-nd/)
• For more information, contact Tom Wollin at [e-mail]