FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Shelton Dodson
Director of Public Affairs, New Mexico Department of Agriculture
sdodson@nmda.nmsu.edu
Office: 575-646-2804
Cell: 575-339-5011

April 24, 2024

New Mexico Department of Agriculture joins USDA trade mission to India

India represents growth economy for New Mexico agribusinesses, pecan producers

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LAS CRUCES, N.M. – New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte joins a diverse delegation of businesses and organizations and officials from 10 other State Departments of Agriculture on a trade mission April 22-25 to New Delhi, India to promote U.S. agricultural products. India is home to nearly one-fifth of the world’s population with 1.4 billion people.

12 men in grey and white lab coats and white and blue hard hats pose for a photo inside a warehouse. Cardboard boxes are stacked in the background. — New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte joins a diverse delegation of businesses and organizations and officials from 10 other State Departments of Agriculture on a trade mission April 22-25 to New Delhi, India to promote U.S. agricultural products. In advance of this trade mission, Secretary Witte and NMDA marketing staff hosted an inbound trade mission in January for a contingent from India, which included tours of pecan orchards and pecan processing centers in the Las Cruces area. (Photo courtesy of the New Mexico Department of Agriculture)

Led by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Affairs Alexis Taylor, the trade mission is part of USDA’s efforts to leverage its global reach to open new markets on behalf of American food and agricultural producers.

The 47 organizations and agribusinesses represented on the trip will participate in business-to-business meetings with potential buyers from India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Participants will visit retail sites in and around New Dehli, the capital city of India and the second most-populated metropolis in the world.

Group of eight men standing in front of an old log cabin. — New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte joins a diverse delegation of businesses and organizations and officials from 10 other State Departments of Agriculture on a trade mission April 22-25 to New Delhi, India to promote U.S. agricultural products. In advance of this trade mission, Secretary Witte and NMDA marketing staff hosted an inbound trade mission in January for a contingent from India, which included tours of pecan orchards and pecan processing centers in the Las Cruces area. (Photo courtesy of the New Mexico Department of Agriculture)

“We are joined on this mission by pecan growers and shellers who see India as an important market with tremendous potential growth,” said Witte. “Pecans are known for their health benefits and processors in India’s snack food industry are excited about working with the U.S. pecan industry to increase their opportunities in using this highly desired source of protein.”

In advance of this trade mission, Secretary Witte, New Mexico Department of Agriculture marketing staff and members of the New Mexico’s agriculture industry hosted an inbound trade mission in January for a contingent from India, which included tours of pecan orchards and pecan processing centers in the Las Cruces area.

Large group photo at a distance in a ballroom. Dinner table with yellow-tan decor are in the foreground. Sponsor signage and presentation screens are in the background — New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte joins a diverse delegation of businesses and organizations and officials from 10 other State Departments of Agriculture on a trade mission April 22-25 to New Delhi, India to promote U.S. agricultural products. Led by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Affairs Alexis Taylor, the trade mission is part of USDA’s efforts to leverage its global reach to open new markets on behalf of American food and agricultural producers. (Photo credit: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service)

“New Mexico is the second largest producer of pecans in the United States,” said Witte. “India recently lowered the tariff on pecans imported from the United States, therefore this trade mission provides an important opportunity to develop relationships in India and forge partnerships that can benefit growers in our state.”

In 2023, New Mexico produced 100 million pounds of pecans, representing a 20 percent increase from the previous year. In 2022, U.S. agricultural exports to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka totaled more than $2.5 billion.

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