MANHATTAN, Kan. – In order to help expand opportunities for U.S. products in international markets, the Kansas Department of Agriculture regularly seeks out opportunities for buyers missions.  KDA is a member of Food Export Association of the Midwest; a non-profit organization composed of 22 Midwestern states that together leverage federal and state resources to provide services to facilitate trade between U.S. food suppliers and importers around the world.  These services include: export promotion, customized export assistance, and a cost-share funding program.

Food Export will be conducting a Value-Added Feed Ingredients Buyers Mission in conjunction with the World Dairy Expo, September 29 through October 1, 2015.

Kansas companies interested in meeting with international buyers should consider taking part. Demand for feed supplements and additives worldwide continues to rise and establishing relationships with international buyers stimulates that demand. Products of interest include: alfalfa meal and pellets, amino acids, beef pulp, high protein corn meal, lysine, microbial feed additives, milk replacers, pre-mixed feeds, soybean meal, vitamins and minerals and whey products.  Registration deadline for the event is August 18, 2015. Registration can be completed at: https://www1.foodexport.org/ProgramsAndActivities/BuyersMissions/G15FED.

Participants will meet one-on-one with pre-qualified buyers from around the world at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. The buyer’s mission will generate new sales leads, build relationships with key industry players and provide opportunities to meet with buyers from around the world. Buyers from China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Guatemala and Taiwan will be represented.

Last year’s participants reported $5.5 million in export sales. Thirty-eight buyer-seller relationships were established at the event and 14 of those companies had 20 percent or more sales increases.

“Kansas continues to have a strong presence at World Dairy Expo as one of the fastest growing dairy states,” said Suzanne Ryan, International Trade Director at the Kansas Department of Agriculture. “World Dairy Expo is truly an international event, and this buyer’s mission will allow Kansas feed companies unprecedented access to large international buyers while further demonstrating Kansas’ diverse agricultural offerings.”

Providing support and assistance to help make Kansas businesses more successful, grow rural communities, expand markets for Kansas agricultural products, level the playing field, grow the agricultural workforce and encourage more farms, ranches and other agriculture businesses to expand or relocate to Kansas is a mission of the Kansas Department of Agriculture. The Value-Added Feed Ingredients Buyers Mission is an excellent opportunity for Kansans to expand their markets.

For more information, please contact Suzanne Ryan at Suzanne.Ryan@kda.ks.gov.

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