DETROIT (AP) — An ongoing trade trip is helping lay the foundation for possibly exporting dried fruit, dairy products and other processed foods to China, the director of Michigan’s agriculture department said Monday.
Jamie Clover Adams, who leads the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, is part of the trade trip led by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder to China that ends this week. Clover Adams said Michigan’s diverse array of crops and agricultural-related products gives it a boost in establishing trade deals.
“The officials have been very welcoming, and the companies,” she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from China. “It will take a lot of follow up.”
As part of the trip, Clover Adams has met with officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Trade Office, toured markets and met with food companies.
Michigan had about $23.4 million in agricultural-related trade with China in 2011, Michigan’s agriculture department said. The aim is to at least double that by 2015. The focus is on processed food products, such as blueberries, cherries and cranberries, as well as dairy products such as shelf-stable milk, cheese and milk powder.
There’s also interest in parts of China in importing soybeans from Michigan or fresh fruit, the department said, but the logistics of shipping and competition in fruit production from the western U.S. makes it more difficult.
Snyder, a Republican and former businessman, has said he hopes to return from the trip with new and renewed business and trade relationships. Last week in Shanghai he opened the Michigan China Center, which is aimed at promoting trade, tourism and cultural exchanges between Michigan and China.
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Online:
http://www.michigan.gov/mdard
