By Ben Nuelle
Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden leads a trade mission to sub-Saharan Africa this week. Leaders from five agriculture state departments and 26 U.S. agribusinesses and organizations will accompany Harden.
In a recent press release, Harden said ?Sub-Saharan Africa’s strong economic outlook, growing middle class, and surging demand for consumer-oriented foods creates a promising market for U.S. food and agricultural products,” Harden continued to say “Over the past decade, U.S. agricultural exports to this region increased by more than 50 percent, totaling $2.3 billion in 2014.”
22 U.S. companies and four U.S. agricultural commodity trade associations represent a variety of agricultural products including grains and feeds, peanuts, soybeans, meat and poultry products, agricultural machinery, and more.
The delegation will meet with potential customers from more than a dozen countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, forging relationships and learning about the market conditions and business environment in the region. This first-hand intelligence will help them develop strategies to start or expand sales to these key markets.
Top Sub-Saharan Africa markets for U.S. agricultural and related products last year included Nigeria ($847 million), Angola ($298 million) South Africa ($259 million), Ghana ($129 million), Kenya ($69 million) and Ethiopia ($83 million).
