USDA aims agriculture exports at northeast China

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s undersecretary for farm and foreign agricultural services, Michael Scuse, and a group of representatives from 28 trade associations and companies are in northeast China this week to promote U.S. agricultural exports to the market.
   The trade mission is part of President Barack Obama’s Made in Rural America export and investment initiative to help rural businesses take advantage of new investment opportunities and access new markets overseas.
   According to USDA, China is the largest market for U.S. food and agricultural products, with exports reaching a record $23.5 billion last fiscal year.
   “With its rapidly growing middle class and a population roughly equal to that of Mexico, northeast China is an increasingly attractive market for U.S. agricultural exports,” USDA said in a statement. “Buoyed by economic growth and urban development, the region’s agricultural imports have been soaring and outpacing the rest of the country in recent years. U.S. agricultural exports to the region have grown 18 percent annually since 2009 and demand for soybeans, red meat, dairy and sugar have all seen double-digit growth over the past five years.”
   During the mission, the USDA delegation will travel to the northeastern provinces of Dalian, Shenyang and Changchun to learn about market conditions and business opportunities there.
   Participating companies represent a range of products, from fruits and vegetables, to livestock feed and seafood, and agricultural machinery. The delegation also includes representatives from the U.S. ethanol industry who will explore the role that renewable fuels might play in China’s long-term clean energy strategy, USDA said.