Source: NCDA&CS, 7/16/14

At the end of June, Commissioner Troxler accompanied the department's international marketing team and a few commodity leaders on a trade mission through Europe. It was a long and adventerous flight, but once the group arrived, they were able to successfuly advocate for some of North Carolina's most prized commodities. The focus of the mission was on three main commodities: tobacco, sweet potatoes and wood pellets. 

The first day of the mission was all about North Carolina sweet potatoes with an in-store promotion at EDEKA Hieber in Frankfurt, Germany, followed by a reception with importers, retailers, wholesalers and industry leaders that night. The next stop was Basel, Switzerland, where the group had the privillage of touring a tobacco farm and a cheese factory, followed by several meetings that afternoon with industry leaders to discuss commodities ranging from tobacco to sweet potatoes. The tour made several more stops through the center of Europe in Germany and Switzerland before heading to the United Kingdom.

While in the United Kingdom, the group met with officials at the DRAX power plant. The group toured the plant and advocated for wood pellets from North Carolina.

Overall, the trip went well. The marketing team was able to meet with influential commodity leaders where they advocated for North Carolina products, and were able to address any concerns that these leaders may have regarding ag exports from North Carolina. Time will tell just how successful this trip was for North Carolina agriculture.