A&T Involved in International Trade Development

October 7, 1996

Greensboro, NC: Final plans for an International Trade Center of Excellence on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University have been approved. The Center is funded in part by USDA, and a key objective is to enhance the international competitiveness of North Carolina's farms and agribusinesses.

"U.S. agriculture's future prosperity clearly lies in an expanding export market," said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman. "In the export market, we're seeing a rapid growth in demand that can help sustain a strong and prosperous U.S. food and agricultural sector, with all the economic and job creating benefits that accrue from that growth. Export growth is the key, we believe, to stronger farm incomes in the years ahead."

Activities at the Center will be conducted in partnerships with public and private organizations. The Center is being established with a special emphasis on giving rural North Carolinians access to the international marketplace.

"The Center will help small-scale and limited-resource farms and businesses expand their market to include foreign countries," said Dr. William Amponsah, Interim Center Coordinator.

The International Trade Center of Excellence will also serve as a resource for students and faculty at A&T. The Center will give faculty and students additional opportunities for research into international marketing, and also open doors for hands-on involvement in global economics.

The Center is funded by three USDA agencies: Farm Service Agency, Foreign Agricultural Service, and the Rural Business Cooperative Service.

For more information, please contact Dr. William Amponsah of the NC A&T School of Agriculture, (336) 334-7056.