MDA to Host Food Importers and Distributors from China and Korea

Annapolis, MD – The Maryland Department of Agriculture and the Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA) will provide food product suppliers from Southern United States with an opportunity to meet one-on-one with food importers and distributors from China and Korea. The “inbound trade mission,” designed to increase the exporting of U.S. agricultural products, will be held on Thursday, Sept. 26 at the Natural Products Expo at the Baltimore Convention Center.

This low-cost event is an easy way for small companies to meet pre-vetted foreign buyers and showcase their products without leaving the United States. The goal is to generate export sales and distributorships, but at the very least a company should leave the trade mission with a better idea of how their product will perform in that foreign market.

As the world’s most-populated and fastest-growing market, China is an ideal target for many food and agricultural products. Unsurprisingly, China is the second largest importer of U.S. agricultural products. Korea imports 70% of its food and agricultural products, and many American products have gained an increased competitive edge over goods from other countries as the result of the U.S. – Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS).

“This trade mission is specifically designed to introduce international buyers to small companies that offer the specialty food products the buyers are most interested in,” said Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Buddy Hance. “These are connections that lead to real exporting deals, furthering U.S. trade relations.”

The inbound trade mission was organized by the Maryland and North Carolina Departments of Agriculture and is funded by SUSTA’s International Marketing Program which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and helps U.S. food and agriculture producers connect directly with importers. Fifteen small businesses, including three from Maryland, will meet with representatives of five Chinese companies and five Korean companies.

To be eligible to participate in SUSTA’s export assistance programs, companies must be considered small according to U.S. Small Business Administration standards. The products promoted must have a brand-name and be sourced from at least 50 percent of U.S. agricultural contents. For more information about SUSTA, contact Danielle Viguerie at (504) 568-5986 or [email protected].

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