Wisconsin Agriculture Secretary Ben Brancel and Jennifer Lu, an economic development consultant with the Dept. of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection are traveling to Ho Chi Minh City, Vinh and Hanoi through Jan. 14.

"The purpose of this visit is to identify opportunities and challenges for Wisconsin businesses hoping to export in the Vietnamese marketplace," said Brancel. "Because of Vietnam's sincere interest in expanding their dairy and livestock economies, there is great potential for a strong trade relationship with Wisconsin."

Funding for the trip was provided by the U.S. Livestock Genetics Export, Inc. While in Vietnam, Brancel and Lu will attend meetings with officials, retailers, importers and farmers.

Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia with a young and dynamic population of nearly 90 million. No other market for U.S. agricultural products has grown as fast as Vietnam in recent years. In 2006, the United States was the 49th largest agricultural export market for Vietnam. In 2010 the U.S. ranked 15th largest. This past July, Vietnam opened its market to allow live U.S. breeding cattle imports.

In 2010, trade between Vietnam and Wisconsin increased 101 percent above 2009 figures, ranking Wisconsin 15th in the nation for agricultural exports to that Southeast Asian country. In 2010, 40 percent of Vietnam's whey imports came from Wisconsin, totaling more than $5 million. Besides whey, Wisconsin exports to Vietnam in 2010 included hides and skins, sugars, dried distillers grains (livestock feed) and soybeans.

"In the past, the Vietnamese marketplace has been limited to only a few businesses in Wisconsin," added Brancel. "Through this educational and exploratory visit, we hope to identify additional prospects for many Wisconsin companies to have a successful export market in Vietnam."

Following this visit, DATCP's International Trade Team will work to encourage and assist business partnerships between Vietnamese buyers and Wisconsin agribusinesses.

"In recent years Wisconsin has seen some very promising export numbers, and we hope to open additional doors," concluded Lu. "We are very appreciative that the USGLE has recognized the further export opportunities in Vietnam by providing support for this very important visit."

If your business is interested in learning more, contact DATCP at 800-462-5237 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can also connect with DATCP on Twitter at twitter.com/widatcp.

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