Strengthening relationships with several Indiana agbioscience companies was one of the main goals of Governor Eric Holcomb’s economic development trip last week to Brazil and Mexico.
“This ag sector—ag and agbiosciences—means $58 billion to our Hoosier bottom line every year, but that number can be even bigger,” said Gov. Holcomb, who spoke with Hoosier Ag Today while in Mexico during his recent economic development trip.
Among Indiana’s ag leaders who joined Holcomb as part of the delegation were Courtney Kingery, CEO of Indiana Corn Marketing Council and Indiana Soybean Alliance; Mitch Frazier, CEO of AgriNovus Indiana; and Don Lamb, Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA).
Holcomb said there are significant benefits to meet face-to-face with ag business leaders in their home countries. The governor and his delegation met with Brazilian and Mexican business partners with several Indiana-based ag companies including Corteva, Elanco, and Solinftec.
“We’ve made some progress on some projects that we’ve been working on while we were at home, but we’ve made more progress here [in Brazil and Mexico],” he says. “Details [are] yet to be shared, but I grow in confidence that they will materialize, and we have some new prospects and some new possibilities so we’re going to continue to cultivate relations.”
In addition, Holcomb said he’s been using the opportunity during the trip to push our trade partners in Brazil and Mexico into buying more Indiana grown and produced products—to raise the value of those products for Indiana’s producers.
“Any trip I go on, you have to ‘sell, sell, sell,’ and we need Indiana ag in the world,” said Holcomb. “I’m proud whether it be Farbest Foods or Maple Leaf Duck or Weaver Popcorn—you name it—these companies that have operations abroad become stronger because of the work we’re doing together.”
Indiana trade between Brazil and Mexico topped $1.7 billion and $13.4 billion in 2023, respectively, and the state is already home to 14 Brazil-based and 13 Mexico-based business establishments.
While Holcomb’s time as governor will come to an end in early January of next year, he said he is still working and going full throttle when it comes to growing Indiana’s ag economy.
“It’s paramount to go out and meet your customers. That’s what needs to happen. I’ve got 270 days left—6,480 hours—and I pledge to do it to my last hour selling Indiana and selling Indiana ag.”
According to the governor’s office, the cost for his travel was paid for through private donations to the Indiana Economic Development Foundation.
Click below to hear Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb discuss his economic development trip to Brazil and Mexico with Hoosier Ag Today, as well as his goal of boosting Indiana’s ag and agbioscience economy.
