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About 7,600 miles separates Indianapolis, Indiana from New Delhi, India. Several Indiana ag leaders have traveled that distance this week to sell more of Indiana ag products to India.
“We are focused on exports and that the world is excited about the high quality of products that Indiana and the United States can supply them,” said Katie Nelson, Deputy Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA). She chatted with Hoosier Ag Today while in India as part of a trade mission hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“In India this week, we’ve really been focusing on grain—specifically ethanol—as well as duck,” said Nelson. “Indiana is the number one duck producing state in the country and number three turkey producing state. Last year when India decreased their basic tariffs on duck and turkey from 30 percent to five percent, U.S. products became a lot more price competitive in the Indian market and we’re taking advantage of that lower tariff rate.”
The trade mission to India is being led by Alexis Taylor, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.
Among the Indiana ag leaders joining Taylor and Nelson on the trade mission are:
- Courtney Kingery, CEO of the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and Indiana Soybean Alliance
- Becky Joniskan, President of the Indiana State Poultry Association
- Drew Sherman, International Trade Director with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture
- Sean Smith, General Manager of Culver Duck
During a lunch visit at the Institute of Hotel Management in India, Nelson says she and the USDA trade delegation were treated to a taste of Indiana agriculture.
“I was so excited one of our entrees was Indiana duck and I have to say it was delicious and really awesome to celebrate that with our Indian counterparts.”
She says another goal of this trip is for India to buy more of Indiana’s corn and ethanol.
“We are great at producing ethanol and corn and Indiana,” she said. “We’re really excited about India’s goal to be E20, so we hope that we can contribute to that as well.”
Nelson encourages Indiana’s ag producers to think globally about their products.
“Keep looking for those export opportunities and we at the Indiana State Department of Agriculture have really been focusing on helping producers get into that export market,” says Nelson. “If folks are interested in exploring that, they should reach out to me or to ISDA Trade Director Drew Sherman and we can help get them connected and on the right path.”
The USDA has four additional trade missions planned for 2024:
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, from June 17-20.
- Bogotá, Colombia, Aug. 13-15.
- Vietnam, Sept. 9-13
- Morocco, Dec. 2-6