Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds (file photo)
Iowa’s lieutenant governor will lead a trade mission to Vietnam and the Philippines early next year.
Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds will make stops in Hanoi and in Ho Chi Minh City — the largest city in Vietnam — and in Manilla, the second-largest city in the Philippines.
“Both Vietnam and the Philippines import pork products from Iowa farmers and we see great opportunity to foster and grow their export relationship,” Reynolds says.
“In addition, the mission will also look for export opportunities for Iowa manufacturers looking to start or expand their business in southeast Asia.”
Vietnam and the Philippines are densely populated countries. Vietnam has over 104 million residents and 88 million people live in the Philippines.
“And their countries will need our state’s agriculture products to feed their growing population,” Reynolds says. “And with south Asian markets continuing to grow, their leaders are looking for opportunities to expand business partnerships to support their growing population.”
So far this year, Iowa exports to Vietnam have increased 36 percent. According to Reynolds, Iowa businesses can pay the state’s Economic Development Authority three-thousand dollars to have a representative on the trip. Reynolds and the rest of the delegation will leave Iowa on February 22 and return from the trip on March 2, 2013.
Reynolds and Governor Terry Branstad discussed the mission this morning during the goveronr’s weekly news conference. The audio is posted here.