Days 2 and 3 of Lt. Governor Ellspermann’s agriculture trade mission have been spent in the Sichuan Province located in southwestern China. This inland province has some of China’s most productive agricultural land and very diverse agriculture, as well as major industrial development in its capital city of Chengdu, a city with a population of over 15 million people.
On the first day they met with Consul General Raymond Greene and staff from the American Consulate General’s office of Chengdu, which was established in 1985 and one of the first foreign consul offices in southwestern China. This Indiana delegation is the first agricultural governmental trade mission to visit this region of China.
In the afternoon, the delegation met with three furniture companies located throughout the Sichuan Province who connected with Keith Cole, representing Cole Hardwood of Logansport, Indiana and the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen Association. Both parties walked away from the meeting with next steps in place to establish an international business relationship.
They were hosted for an evening dinner by officials from Sichuan Provincial Foreign Affairs where Lt. Governor Ellspermann and the delegation members were able to share opportunities in Indiana’s production, animal health, agribusiness and technology sectors as well as learn about the local agricultural offerings. Considered the pork capital of China, Sichuan Province’s agricultural commodities also includes lemons, pomegranates, tea and numerous other products.
On the second day, the Lt. Governor and Ted McKinney, Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) led the team through an agricultural exchange meeting with the Director General and a multitude of department heads of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Agriculture. During the meeting, Beth Bechdol of Ice Miller, LLC, the Agribusiness Council of Indiana and AgriNovus Indiana was able to share highlights and innovations of the agribusiness sector in the Hoosier state. Clyde Shaffer of Shaffer Genetics, Inc., in Randolph County gave a short presentation on the work his company is conducting with Chinese businesses in the field of swine breeding to maximize growth rate, meat quality, durability and leanness.
Following the productive meeting, which has led to business card exchanges and follow up meetings scheduled, Lt. Governor Ellspermann and Director General Ren signed a memorandum of understanding, formalizing the newly established friendship between the State of Indiana and Sichuan Provincial Department of Agriculture to explore mutually beneficial exchange opportunities.
They then traveled to Ya’an, where the first panda in the world was discovered in 1862 and home to Sichuan Agricultural University where the group learned more about the 109 year old institution. The group once again received a warm welcome and presentations from various deans regarding their departments and current research projects, including one with Purdue University and Maple Leaf Farms. Jane Ade Stevens of the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Corn Marketing Council shared highlights of current initiatives in the corn and soybean industries bringing together the industry and farmers alike to fund innovative uses for the crops.
The evening was capped off with the Indiana delegation attending a 4th of July celebration at the Shangri-La Hotel Chengdu hosted by the American Consulate. The group was honored to be amongst the nearly 500 attendees to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the US – China cooperation during World War II when over 60,000 American servicemen were stationed in the Southwestern region of China as a gateway into the fighting. This included the very famous “Flying Tigers,” American volunteer airmen who flew P-40 aircraft in defense of China.
Reflecting on the trip thus far, Lt. Governor Ellspermann commented, “We could not be more pleased with the foundations that have been laid and relationships that have been established and strengthened during the first part of our agriculture trade mission. In the first few days, we have had the opportunity to travel to Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Sichuan Provinces where we have been warmly greeted by local leaders, businesses and Chinese citizens alike. I am confident our packed schedule will provide future opportunities for our state and our delegation.”