NC International Agriculture Opportunity

It’s all about relationships- even in agriculture.

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services wants buyers in China to pick Tar Heel products. To help build relationships with international buyers, North Carolina is spending $15,000 to open its own trade office in Beijing. It seems you have to be there if you want to push your products.

Paul Chang is North Carolina’s Chief Agriculture Representative in China. He says building relationships makes North Carolina more proactive.

It means a lot of travel time for NC Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. Buyers he says, expect to see him. Troxler adds that Chinese culture puts a lot of value on his position and the fact he would take the time to come personally to China instead of sending someone to represent him.

Even the formality of business cards is important. North Carolina farmers who recently went on a trade mission to China had special cards made up and learned how to hold and present the cards properly when they were introduced.

It makes sense when you think about it. When I need any kind of service, I call who I know. And I call who I trust. Relationships count. You can’t put a monetary value on them, but we know they matter.

Peter Thornton, Assistant Director for International Marketing wants exporters to call on North Carolina for all their agriculture products. Thornton spends a lot of time building relationships with farmers at home too. Sometimes he must convince them how much value their products really hold and why they too should pursue relationships abroad.

Consider these numbers from the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services web site for a better take on the value of North Carolina agriculture to some of the state’s most impoverished counties.



*More Information from the NC AG web site:
North Carolina improves to 11th in the United States in terms of exporting. The total value of NC Agriculture Exports, not including lumber exports, exceeded $2.8 billion in 2009. Agricultural exports help boost farm prices and income, while supporting about 35,907 jobs both on the farm and off the farm in food processing, storage, and transportation.



Source: Economic Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/StateExports/
Note: USDA Information above does not include forestry exports.

What may surprise you is that right now North Carolina exports most goods to Japan. But with China’s expected growth, the push is on to nurture and grow relationships in one of the world’s fastest growing countries with the idea of helping farm counties here at home in North Carolina.



Source: Wiser Trade Data Base
Based on HS Codes 01-53