Asia Mission Explores Agricultural Opportunities
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA trade delegation to Asia is gathering information about how to increase the global competitiveness of Indiana's agricultural sector. Lieutenant Governor Sue Ellspermann is leading the trade mission. She has already met with officials from the Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries along with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Services office in Tokyo. June 17, 2014
News Release
TOKYO, JAPAN – Lieutenant Governor Sue Ellspermann began her first trade mission to Asia today by traveling to Tokyo, Japan. Initial meetings included visits with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS) and Agricultural Trade Offices (ATO) at the Embassy of the United States in Tokyo.
While meeting with FAS and ATO, the Lt. Governor and her delegation learned about ways to improve foreign market access for Indiana agriculture, forestry and fishery products, as well as ways to improve the competitive position of U.S. agriculture in the global market.
After visiting the U.S. Embassy, the Lt. Governor met with senior government officials from the Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), including Parliamentary Secretary Yasuhiro Ozato.
MAFF is a part of the Japanese Prime Minister’s Cabinet and is responsible for oversight of the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries. MAFF’s primary function is to set quality standards for food products, monitor commodity markets, food production and sales, and land reclamation/ improvement projects.
A portion of the delegation participated in a meeting with officials from the Mitsubishi Corporation – the investment and trading division of Mitsubishi Group. A subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation, the Mitsubishi International Corporation (MIC) is a major investor in the Indiana Packers Corporation (IPC). IPC processes pork and bacon for the U.S., Japan, and Mexican markets and employs over 1,600 employees. In April 2014, IPC expanded in Frankfort, Indiana and will add warehousing and additional pork processing to its operations.
The fourth meeting of the day was with senior executives from the Livestock and Raw Protein Division of ZEN-NOH. ZEN-NOH is a federation of agricultural cooperatives in Japan, which includes 1,022 agricultural cooperatives with over 8,300 employees. In 2013, it had a combined revenue of $115 billion (USD).
The final meeting of the day was with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). JETRO is a government-related organization that works to promote mutual trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world. JETRO-Chicago has been very supportive of Indiana, including a large role at the 2010 State Fair “Bridges to Japan” project when Japan was the State Fair’s Country exhibition.
Hoosiers can follow the Lt. Governor’s trade mission at www.lg.in.gov/Asia2014 or on social media with the hashtag, “#LgTradeMission”. Source: Office of the Lieutenant Governor