FARGO, N.D. – Fourteen North Dakota companies will travel March 16-23 to Beijing and Guangzhou, China, to showcase the state’s high-quality agricultural commodities and food products to some of the China’s largest food manufacturers and processors.
Organized by the North Dakota Trade Office (NDTO), the North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) and the Northern Crops Institute (NCI), the “Better for You Food Ingredients” event will be led by Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring and officials from the NDTO and NCI.
The event includes a conference and exhibition designed to further introduce North Dakota’s high-quality food ingredients to the Chinese food manufacturing market. NCI crop specialists will give presentations to Chinese buyers, and research and development specialists and food manufacturers, while chefs prepare Chinese dishes with North Dakota value-added ingredients including: flax, sunflowers, barley, wheat, flour, pasta, soybeans, peas, lentils and dry edible beans.
“Exports play an important role in North Dakota’s growing economy, and the events scheduled in China are part of our ongoing commitment to helping businesses expand their presence in high-demand markets throughout the world,” said Gov. Jack Dalrymple.
“China’s growing middle class and appetite for higher quality foods are reflected in its growing demand for the types of commodities we produce in North Dakota,” Goehring said. “We are well-positioned. This mission is also a great opportunity to emphasize the nutritional attributes of our commodities.”
The relationship between the agriculture industries in North Dakota in China continues to grow. Northern Crops Institute has had a long history with China’s government agencies and food companies through its educational programs.
“Some of our first Chinese delegations came to NCI in the 1990s. This mission is a great opportunity for NCI to reconnect with some of the companies and agencies that we have dealt with in the past and to invite them back to our region,” said John Crabtree, NCI Assistant Director. “It provides a showcase to acquaint Chinese food companies with the diversity of high-quality crops produced here in North Dakota and the Upper Midwest.”
Companies and organizations participating in the trade mission include:
- SB&B Foods Inc., Casselton, ND
- Richland Organics, Inc., Wahpeton, ND
- Sun Opta, Moorhead, MN
- SK Food, Fargo, ND
- Red River Commodities, Fargo, ND
- Soyko, Inc., Gary, MN
- North Dakota Mill, Grand Forks, ND
- VK Global, Fargo, ND
- JB Global, Barnesville, MN
- Dakota Specialty Milling, Fargo, ND
- United Pulse Trading, Bismarck, ND
- Dakota Pride Co-op, Jamestown, ND
- Northarvest Bean Growers Association
- North Dakota State University
Among the organizations assisting in the development of this event were the North Dakota Soybean Council, Northern Pulse Growers Association, Northarvest Bean Growers Association, North Dakota Wheat Commission and USDA Foreign Agriculture Service.