United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney leads a trade mission to Central America. The mission will be in Guatemala from February 26 to March 2nd.
McKinney will be accompanied by a delegation of agribusinesses and state government leaders looking to increase agricultural exports to Central America?s Northern Triangle of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
?The Northern Triangle offers significant market opportunities for exporters of U.S farm and food products,? McKinney says. ?Thanks to population and economic growth in the region, demand for imported goods, particularly high-value, consumer-oriented food products, is rising.?
More than 95-percent of United States agricultural exports enjoy duty-free access to the region under the CAFTA-DR agreement. Since implementing the agreement in the Northern Triangle, in 2006, Ag exports have doubled, totaling $2.2 billion in 2017.
While the mission is based in Guatemala, mission participants will also have the chance to connect with importers from El Salvador and Honduras, who are scheduled to travel to Guatemala. The USDA Foreign Ag Service will set up around 450 one-on-one business meetings between U.S. delegates and representatives from local companies who are interested in purchasing U.S. goods.
