Montana Ag department in USDA trade mission to Panama

Press release

HELENA — Representatives from the Montana Department of Agriculture joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor as part of a delegation of 26 agribusinesses and farm organizations traveling to Panama City, Panama, from March 19 to 23.

The mission highlights export opportunities in Panama and throughout the Central America and Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement region. Exports of agricultural products to Panama and CAFTA-DR countries reached a record $8.8 billion in 2022, a 57% increase from 2018.

“I am excited that my first USDA trade mission is targeting Panama and our CAFTA-DR partners. The region provides great potential to the U.S. agriculture sector as consumers across the area clamor for the world-class agricultural and food products grown here in America,” Under Secretary Taylor said. “International trade is built on developing successful relationships between U.S. producers and the distributors and consumers in foreign markets. I look forward to connecting the trade mission’s participants to buyers throughout Central America and supporting our efforts to expand the U.S. presence in the region.”

In Panama City, trade mission participants will engage directly with potential buyers, receive in-depth market briefings from the Foreign Agricultural Service and industry trade experts, and participate in site visits. These efforts underscore the important federal-state relationship Montana maintains with USDA Foreign Agricultural Service and the role of the Market Access Program in continuing to support and expand reliable export markets for Montana products. 

The Montana Department of Agriculture is serving Montana Agriculture and growing prosperity under the Big Sky. For more information on department programs and services, people can visit https://agr.mt.gov .