SD Trade, SD Biotech to partner on trade mission to East Asia
South Dakota businesses will be heading to Taiwan and Japan in a few months as part of trade missions to increase export sales of biotech, food and defense products.
The trade missions are a partnership between South Dakota Trade and South Dakota Biotech.
Participating businesses will have the chance to promote their products at one of five concurrently held trade shows in June in Taipei:
Bio/Pharmatech Taipei
Food Taipei
Foodtech Taipei
Taipei Pack — Taipei International Packaging Show
Taiwan Horcea — Taiwan International Hotel, Restaurant and Catering Show
“Our best chance to sell more South Dakota products overseas happens when we put willing buyers and willing sellers in the same room,” Luke Lindberg, president and CEO of South Dakota Trade, said in a statement.
“We are pleased to be partnering with South Dakota Biotech to promote our industry-leading and innovative products to our allies in East Asia.”
Participating companies can apply for State Trade Expansion Program grant funding from South Dakota Trade and also from Food Export Midwest to offset the cost of registration, travel and translation services. The package also includes access to local consultants who will pre-arrange business-to-business matchmaking meetings with foreign buyers in each market to expedite sales opportunities.
“South Dakota Trade is proving to be an invaluable resource for our biotech companies” said Joni Ekstrum, executive director of South Dakota Biotech. “The state’s export strategy specifically calls for increasing trade activity in East Asia, and we’re proud to partner with them on reaching this important market.”
The trade mission reflects South Dakota Trade’s newly released 2024 state export strategy, which was adopted by a steering committee chaired by Ekstrum. It weighed in on priority export products, priority export markets and challenges their industries face in exporting.
PHOTO: Luke Lindberg, South Dakota Trade; Joni Ekstrum; South Dakota Biotech; and Joe Fiala, Governor’s Office of Economic Development