Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Chinese tobacco buyers get a taste of the State Fair


A member of the Chinese delegation tries her hand at stringing tobacco.

Asian visitors to the N.C. State Fair are becoming a tradition. Last year, Japan’s ambassador to the U.S. visited. Saturday, a group of 22 Chinese tobacco buyers toured the Fair. The group has been in North Carolina for almost a week, meeting with representatives of U.S. Tobacco Cooperative and others involved in exporting N.C. tobacco to China.

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler took a few members of the delegation for short rides on the Big Cart. Afterward, the group visited the Got to Be NC Agriculture exhibit, sampled homemade ice cream and strung tobacco in Heritage Circle, saw dairy cattle in the Jim Graham Building and milk goats in the Expo Center. A few of the female members even got makeovers at the L’Oreal Paris tent near Dorton Arena.

Commissioner Troxler visited China in August to encourage the Chinese to buy more N.C. tobacco and other commodities. Many of the tobacco officials he met with in Beijing were in the group at the State Fair Saturday.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Futurallia France 2010 & Doing Business - Mexico

Futurallia France 2010
Are you looking to develop new export markets? How about securing business partners, agents or distributors? Or even finding financial or commercial partners in international markets? If you answered yes to any or all of these then Futurallia France 2010 is your one stop shop for gaining information about international markets for your business.

This event is brought to you by the Small Business Center at Wake Technical Community College in cooperation with the Small Business Center Network and the NC Dept. of Agriculture.

For more information contact either:

Ken Dillo - (919)-335-1007 or kldillo@waketech.edu

Wayne Loots - (919)-335-1009 or waloots@waketech.edu

Doing Business in the International Marketplace - Mexico 2010
Put your company on the fast track to international success with Wake Tech's Export Ready Training Program. This event will allow you to learn:

International business dynamics
How to capitalize from N.C. Dept. of Commerce - International Trade Division and from the U.S. Embassy Foreign Commercial Service assistance.
Identify distribution channels and find international distributors

For more information contact either:

Ken Dillo - (919)-335-1007 or kldillo@waketech.edu

Wayne Loots - (919)-335-1009 or waloots@waketech.edu

Monday, September 28, 2009

Euromonitor: The link to FREE Market Research

Euromonitor Market Research contains hundreds of market analysis reports on consumer goods and services in the world's major markets. At no cost to you, we will be able to provide forecasts for your products in international markets. The reports generated will allow us to correctly identify which markets your product has the best chance of succeeding.

Euromonitor analysts strive to create reports from desk research, store checks, trade surveys, company analysis, market analysis, forecasts and data standardization to provide you with business intelligence on industries, countries, and consumers.

If you would like quick and easy to read market analyzes for products in interested regions, please send inquiries to Rohil Shah. Again, this comes to you as a free service from the NCDA&CS.

Contact: rohil.shah@ncagr.gov

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

New, Free USDA Trade Lead Service

International agriculture attach's need your exports from North Carolina. Sign up today with new, free USDA Trade Lead Service to ensure all relevant trade leads come to you. Trade leads present significant business opportunities for state suppliers. Trade Lead Posts are looking for North Carolina to tell them which suppliers are most capable of responding to each trade lead by appending qualified suppliers to each appropriate "trade lead recipient list."

As a registrant, your company will be introduced to numerous trade leads and the potential to work with new international clients. Here at the NCDA&CS, we refer your company without any logistics except for the categorization of your products and contact information. You will be notified if the buyers would like to know more about your products and operations.

The new FAS (Foreign Agricultural Service) Trade Lead Service is off to a great start. Over the past 5 weeks, 7 different FAS Posts have sourced 22 highly valuable trade leads for your consideration. If you would like a sample trade lead, please contact the below email.

As of now, we have 55 companies in NC that are listed as suppliers for a wide-variety of products. As this number grows, we need to be sure that the information being offered to buyers is accurate and reliable. For more information about this trade lead service and to register your company, please contact Rohil Shah for further assistance.

Contact: rohil.shah@ncagr.gov

Friday, August 28, 2009

Highlights from Commissioner Troxler's In the Feild Blog about China

Monday in China: An egg farm and a meeting at the U.S. Embassy

Commissioner Troxler, left, listens as Yuan Zhengdong, center, deputy general manager of DQY Ecological Farm, explains operations. Dr. Yanming Han, technical director for the American Soybean Association, translates.

Our delegation arrived in China yesterday, and we all appear to have recovered from the long flight. Today we went to work.

This morning, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler and our group met with Yuan Zhengdong, deputy general manager of DQY Ecological Farm. It is the largest single layer farm in Asia, with about 2 million chickens producing 1.5 million eggs a day. DQY was founded in 2000, construction began in 2002, and the farm opened in 2004. The farm supplies fresh eggs to China’s supermarkets and processes eggs for use in restaurants.

DQY also captures methane gas produced on the farm and converts it to electricity, which is used to power the facility. The farm also has greenhouses for growing organic vegetables, and a feed mill for making chicken feed.

The farm uses corn and soybean in its feed. It gets 65 percent of its corn from local growers, but 100 percent of its soybean meal is from U.S. soybeans.

China’s expanding economy — even in the midst of a global recession, China’s economy grew an estimated 9 percent last year — has created a growing middle class that is incorporating more protein into its diet. Three hundred billion eggs are eaten in China every year. Rising demand for eggs and meat will mean opportunities for N.C. farmers. Soybean growers will find greater demand for their crop, while pork and poultry producers can find new export opportunities for their animals.

After leaving the farm, we returned to Beijing for a meeting with the agricultural staff at the U.S. Embassy. William Westman, the top U.S. ag trade official in Beijing, informed us of the things his staff is doing to open more agricultural trade possibilities in China. It was interesting to hear the many issues that Westman and the rest of the Embassy staff are working on.

Here’s an interesting fact from the briefing: Even though China leads the world in the production of many commodities, such as rice, soybeans and cotton, it still needs to import many of these same commodities from other countries to meet its own demand. North Carolina already is finding opportunities in China, and this week we are looking for more.

Tomorrow, Commissioner Troxler will be meeting with Commissioner Jiang, the head of China’s state-run tobacco company. This is a great opportunity for North Carolina, as Commissioner Troxler will focus on how our farmers can help meet China’s demand for tobacco. Other members of our delegation will be meeting with current and potential customers for North Carolina soybeans and cotton.

Tuesday in China: Tobacco, soybean, cotton meetings

We had a busy day in China, with our group splitting up to cover three commodities: tobacco, soybeans and cotton.

I met with Commissioner Jiang Chenkeng, the head of China’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, and several members of his staff.

Commissioner Jiang said his company is interested in high-quality leaf, and North Carolina farmers can certainly deliver that. (Like I always say, “When you want the best, it’s Got to Be NC!”) His company is interested in long-term planning and continuing to develop the relationship with North Carolina in a way that benefits us both.

It really was a great visit, and I came away from the meeting confident that North Carolina and China can strengthen our trade relationship for tobacco.

In the afternoon, we toured the Beijing Cigarette Factory, which produces about 20 billion cigarettes a year. Forty percent of Chinese production of American-blend cigarettes occurs at this factory.

Other members of our delegation visited an aquaculture research farm that is studying the use of soy protein concentrate as feed for several species of freshwater fish, including black carp. China is the world’s largest aquaculture producer, and researchers believe soy-based feed can hold the key to the sustainability of this industry.

More demand for soy-based fish and animal feeds could open up all sorts of opportunities for North Carolina soybean farmers. Our soybeans are higher in oil and protein than those grown in other U.S. states. Our port in Wilmington and ability to ship containerized soybeans give North Carolina a niche in the export business. Later this week, we’ll be promoting this at a soybean conference in Guangzhou with some of China’s largest soybean buyers.

Our cotton delegation also was busy today, meeting with officials from China Cotton Association, Sinocot and Chinatex. I am told they explored a variety of topics related to N.C. cotton and its future in the Chinese market.

This evening, we hosted a dinner for Chinese customers of North Carolina tobacco, soybeans, cotton and poultry. It was encouraging to see so many of our customers come out. My thanks to the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, N.C. Farm Bureau, N.C. Soybean Producers Association and Burley Stabilization Corp. for sponsoring the event.

Tomorrow, we leave Beijing for Kunming, which is in southwestern China. There I will sign an agreement of mutual understanding with agriculture officials from the Yunnan Province. I’m very interested in seeing this province, because it produces a lot of the same commodities we do in North Carolina.

Wednesday in China: A flight delayed, an agreement signed

Commissioner Troxler signs an agreement of understanding with Deputy Director-General Zhang Zhize of the Yunnan Department of Agriculture and Sen. Bob Atwater.

Wednesday was a travel day, as we left Beijing for Kunming in southwestern China. Wednesday also brought our first slight departure from the schedule, as our flight was delayed more than an hour. We made it to Kunming just in time for the ceremony marking the signing of our agreement of mutual understanding with the Yunnan Department of Agriculture.

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, Deputy Director-General Zhang Zhize and Sen. Bob Atwater signed the agreement. Afterward, we celebrated the agreement over a dinner of Chinese cuisine. (Our thanks to the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, N.C. Farm Bureau, N.C. Soybean Producers Association, Burley Stabilization Corp. and N.C. Agribusiness Council for their support of this event.)

The agreement represents the beginning of a dialogue between the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Yunnan Department of Agriculture about ways the two can work together to benefit agriculture in both regions. Like North Carolina, Yunnan Province is a major tobacco producer. Yunnan also produces cut flowers, sugar cane and potatoes, among other crops.

Tomorrow, Yunnan officials will lead us on a tour of some area farms and a local cigarette factory. Tomorrow night, we fly to Guangzhou, where we will take part in a soybean conference on Friday morning before heading by train to Hong Kong to meet with more N.C. ag customers.

UPDATED: Now that I’m back in North Carolina and no longer prevented from uploading to YouTube, I’ve added video of the signing ceremony.

Thursday in China: A long and interesting day

Commissioner Troxler stands with Chinese tobacco farmer Hong Pinghua.

Wednesday, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler signed a memorandum of understanding with the Yunnan Department of Agriculture. On Thursday, we began putting the agreement into action. We visited three farming operations in the Shilin area of the province.

Local agricultural leaders, including Kunming City Agriculture Director Guo Huan Bo, led our tour into the province’s agricultural region, which is somewhat mountainous. We saw many instances of corn or other crops growing on steep slopes.

Our first stop was Wen’s Farm, which raises pigs and chickens. From the description given by the farm managers, it is similar to a farmers’ cooperative, with farmers from the area contributing to it. Wen’s was founded in the 1980s when eight families each invested 1,000 RMB or yuan (China’s currency). Under the current exchange rate, that’s about equal to $150 U.S. dollars. For a Chinese farming family, that was a significant amount.

Next up was a tobacco farm that provides leaf for Kunming Cigarette Factory. Commissioner Troxler felt right at home talking with the farm’s production leader, Hong Pinghua. About 400 people work on the 1,300-acre farm, producing a local brand of leaf known as Yunnan 87.

Our final stop in Shilin was an ecological farm operated by Yunnan Wanjiahuan Food Group. The farm has a goat breeding facility that focuses on the sustainability of the province’s native goat breed. The farm has about 1,700 goats. The farm also produces organic fruits, such as blueberries, pears, peaches, apples and nectarines.

Mr. Gao of the YDA said the farm provides a general picture of Yunnan’s agricultural development. Planned investment in the farm is about 680 yuan, or about $100 million U.S. dollars. Commissioner Troxler said the farm “is a great asset to China.”

The farm’s ownership wants to organize a trip to the United States this fall. Commissioner Troxler invited the delegation to come to North Carolina and see examples of agricultural research. He even invited the group to the N.C. State Fair.

Troxler was impressed by the farm and the willingness of the provincial leaders to engage in dialogue. “There are many areas of potential cooperation,” he said.

The staff of the farm prepared us a lunch featuring some of the farm’s products. We also were treated to singing from a group of young members of one of the region’s minority populations. They were dressed in coloroful native costumes.

After lunch, we returned to Kunming to tour the cigarette facility. We saw German-made machines rolling and packaging more than 13,000 cigarettes per minute. That’s more than 600 packs in a single minute. The rapid speed of processing is understandable when you consider there are 330 million smokers in China.

Members of our delegation’s tobacco team stayed behind in Kunming to meet with customers, while the rest of us headed to the airport for a flight to Guangzhou. As it turned out, the flight was delayed several hours, and we arrived in Guangzhou at 1 a.m. local time.

Our soybean team has organized a conference for customers there Friday. Commissioner Troxler will speak at the conference in the morning before heading by train to Hong Kong to host a lunch with N.C. ag customers in that city.

Saturday, we head home.

China trade mission wraps up

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler’s agricultural trade mission to China wrapped up over the weekend. Friday, he spoke at a soybean conference in Guangzhou, then headed to Hong Kong to host a lunch for buyers of N.C. ag products.

The soybean conference was well attended, and generated new leads for N.C. soybean producers. The conference gave our marketing folks and representatives of the N.C. Soybean Producers Association the opportunity to inform potential buyers of North Carolina’s high-protein soybeans and the ability to load them into containers for shipping out of Wilmington.

The lunch in Hong Kong was attended by representatives of companies that buy tobacco, pork and poultry. It was an opportunity to say thank you to existing customers and build those relationships for the future. (We want to thank William Chu of the N.C. Commerce Department’s Asia office for his assistance in setting up the lunch — and for helping get us through Hong Kong immigration in time to make it to the lunch.)

A poultry seller works in his shop at the Tsai Kok Tsui Market in Hong Kong.

After the lunch, we got a look at a local supermarket that sells U.S. agricultural products. Located in a mall, the market reminded me of Fresh Market or Whole Foods. It had a definite upscale atmosphere, which makes sense in Hong Kong, the world’s leader in per capita ownership of Rolls Royces.

After that, we toured a “wet market.” The markets were so-named because the vendors used to wash down their booths at night. Concerns about sanitation and food-borne pathogens have led Hong Kong officials to begin modernizing the wet market.

The Tai Kok Tsui Market takes up several floors of a new municipal building. One floor is devoted to meats (chicken, seafood, poultry, beef … even live frogs). It also has what is known as a “poultry boutique,” where you can pick out a live chicken, then wait while it is slaughtered and prepared for you to take home. Live chickens are kept separate from the processing and sales area.

The second floor features a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and the third floor features a cafe that cooks food bought from the vendors below.

In Hong Kong, space is a premium, and many residents don’t have room for large refrigerators. So they shop for their food almost daily, buying fresh fruits, vegetables and cuts of meat. That makes markets such as this one popular with the locals.

We’d like to thank Anita Katial and Chris Li of the U.S. Agricultural Trade Office in Hong Kong for setting up the market tour. We’d also like to thank Hong Kong city officials for their generosity in spending time with us.

Saturday, we packed up for the long flight home.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Troxler to lead agricultural trade mission to China

RALEIGH — Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler will lead an agricultural trade mission to China Aug. 1-8.

The mission will focus on expanding markets for North Carolina tobacco, soybeans, cotton and other commodities. Meetings with Chinese officials will take place in Beijing, Kunming, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

“North Carolina farmers desperately need new markets, and China is the largest potential customer in the world,” Troxler said. “China purchased $271 million worth of North Carolina ag products in 2008, and there is still a huge amount of room for growth. I am confident we will open doors to new opportunities that will benefit North Carolina farmers, otherwise I’d stay home.”

Troxler and agriculture industry officials will meet with leaders of China’s tobacco, soybean and cotton industries. He also will sign a memorandum of understanding with officials from Yunnan, a province with agriculture similar to North Carolina’s. Under the agreement, North Carolina and Yunnan leaders will pledge to find areas of mutual benefit, Troxler said.

The Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, N.C. Farm Bureau, N.C. Soybean Producers Association and Burley Stabilization Corp. are sponsoring events connected to the trade mission, including two dinners for Chinese customers of North Carolina agricultural products.

Joining Troxler in the 26-person delegation will be representatives of the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina, N.C. Soybean Producers Association, N.C. Cotton Growers Association, N.C. Farm Bureau, N.C. Agribusiness Council, N.C. Growers Association, U.S. Tobacco Cooperative, Burley Stabilization Corp. and PS International. These travelers will cover their own expenses.

Monday, July 20, 2009

China Reverse Trade Mission in North Carolina

September 23-25, 2009
Raleigh, Greensboro & Charlotte, NC

NCDA&CS and SUSTA are offering to southern U.S suppliers of high-value food products an opportunity to meet one-on-one with a delegation of top Chinese retail and food service buyers.

This event is open to all Southern US States and space is limited. Be sure to register now!

As the world’s most populated and fastest growing market, China is an ideal target for many food and agricultural products. China, with the world's largest population and one of the fastest growing economies, has recently opened its markets up further to foreign players, following its entry to the World Trade Organization. Average household incomes are rising strongly. This is leading to ever greater consumer demand, especially for products and services previously considered luxuries.

Important Information:

  • Participation fee: $50.00 (Check must accompany registration.)
  • Register at http://directory.susta.org/events/view/2369
  • Deadline for registration is September 4, 2009. (Note: No refunds will be issued after the registration deadline has passed
  • For further information, contact Peter Thornton at peter.thornton@ncagr.gov or 919-733-7912

BUYER PROFILES

Beijing Rungu Food Co. LTD


Description of company business: Mainly import from U.S.A,. Sold to Supermarket and Department Store in Beijing and to the Northern Part of China

Company Size: 20 persons
Date Established: July 28, 1999
Annual sales ($):4,000,000.00
Food imports from the U.S. ($):3,000,000.00
Major areas of business: Supermarket, Store,Department Store in Beijing and Northern part of China
Major products currently import: Betty Crocker, Post, Kellogg’s, Hershey’s
Countries you are currently importing from: U.S.A., France, and Australia

Products of interest while on this mission:
*Snack
*Cracker
*Beverage
*Ingredients

Beijing Shengyanyimei Trading Company


Description of company business: Mainly import from U.S.A,. Sold to Supermarket and Department Store in Beijing and to the Northern Part of China

Company Size: 40 persons
Date Established: March12, 2002
Annual sales ($):5,000,000.00
Food imports ($):3,000,000.00
Major areas of business: Store, Supermarket, Department Store in Beijing and Northern part of china
Major products currently import: SWISS MISS Cocoa ; HUNT’S Sauce ;TABASCO Sauce; SNAPPLE Drink
Countries you are currently importing from: U.S.A., Germany


Products of interest while on this mission:
*Sauce
*Beverage
*Snack
*Cracker

Beijing Uniworld International Trading Co., Ltd

Description of company business: Beijing Uniworld International Trading Co., Ltd is engaged in importing and selling USA food and grocery by wholesale, retail & food service business. We entered the field for more than 10 years, and have rich experience on the imported USA food and grocery.

Date Established: 2006
Annual sales ($):$2,500,000
Major areas of business: Beijing, whole China
Major products currently import: Snack food, Beverages, Candy, Dessert toppings, Dry Grocery Products
Countries you are currently importing from: USA

Products of interest while on this mission:
*Beverages
*Breads
*Candy
*Coffee
*Cheese
*Cookies,
*Dessert Toppings
*Dry Grocery Products
*Ice Cream
*Honey

Nanjing Huipin Trading Co., Ltd.

Description of company business: Nanjing Huipin Trading Co., Ltd. was established in 2004, acting as the agent for imported foods. The company has opened subsidiaries in Guangzhou and Nanjing respectively to establish a sales network all over China. It enjoys good cooperation with distributors in most first-tier and second-tier cities. Therefore the products are supplied to most major supermarkets and wholesale markets.

Currently the company carries products from U.S., Russia, the Netherlands, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, Chile etc. The brands the company represents include Tesi Bon, Mercer’s, Bolletje, Lotte, Smeraldina, and Watt’s

Company Size: 50 employees
Date Established: 2004.7.14
Annual sales ($): 5,000,000
Food imports ($):2,000,000
Food imports from the U.S. ($):500.000
Major areas of business: Jiangsu, Beijing, Guangdong, Shandong, Hubei, Hunan, Fujian
Major products currently import: Tesi Bon, Mercer’s, Bolletje, Lotte, Smeraldina, Watt’s
Countries you are currently importing from: U.S., Russia, the Netherlands, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, Chile

Products of interest while on this mission:
*Beverages
*Biscuits
*Chocolates
*Beer
*Snacks

SHANGHAI GOLDEN FIELDS TRADE DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD

Description of company business: our company is established in 1996 and we work both in retail and food service and import by ourselves or act for all kinds of brands from all cross the world.

Company Size: 30 persons
Date Established: 1996/09
Annual sales ($): around $ 500 million
Food imports ($):around $ 200 million
Food imports from the U.S. ($): around $100,000
Major areas of business: supermarket retail, 4-5 star hotels, catering, bakery, restaurant
Major products currently import: cheese, chocolate, salmon, candy, nut oil, fruit fillings, baking materials
Countries you are currently importing from: USA, Britain, France, Belgium, Italy


Products of interest while on this mission:
*Cheese
*Drink
*Snack food
*Bakery ingredients
*Other catering materials

Fujiang Hui Long Trading Company

Description of company business: Our company was found at 2001 and covers Fuzhou and its neighborhood second and third-tier cities, Ningde, Fuqing, Fuding and Putian. Our company purchased the land in Ningde and opened our own department store in 2007. We are looking for new imported products – organic food, wine and beverage.

Company Size: Medium
Date Established: 2001
Annual sales ($): $500,000
Food imports ($): $300,000
Food imports from the U.S. ($): $0
Major areas of business: Fuzhou and its neighborhood second and third-tier cities
Major products currently import: Wine from France

Countries you are currently importing from: France

Products of interest while on this mission:
*Alcoholic Beverages
*Organic food
*Non-alcoholic Beverages
*Nuts
*Biscuits
*Snacks
*Confectionary