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E-commerce expected to grow significantly with China

A horticultural specialist says there’s a long road ahead for the U.S. and China to strengthen trade relationships.

Kevin Robson with Michigan Farm Bureau tells Brownfield growing e-commerce opportunities in China are connecting consumers directly to sellers, and for agriculture, that means farmers can market directly on the international market.  “China’s middle class is very health conscience and when it comes to food safety they look to the United States and know that our food is the safest food on the planet.”

But, he says for trade to increase, regulations and import infrastructure that inhibits the free flow of products needs to be improved and maintained.  “We have strong relationships with our USDA and APHIS offices and the food safety inspection service.  We need to make sure that China has those same agencies in place to make sure trade can happen freely between both countries.”

Robson says Michigan recently hosted the country’s first ever e-commerce exchange conference featuring China’s version of Amazon, Alibaba, which wants to sell more U.S. products online, including Michigan specialty crops and value-added products.

AUDIO: Interview with Kevin Robson

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