Nebraska agriculture was featured during the worldwide Gulfood Show earlier this month. There were 25 delegates from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, commodity groups, state government, and private industry that visited the United Arab Emirates and Jordan during a trade mission from February 8th through the 19th.
Nebraska Secretary of state Robert Evnen was among the delegates attending the trade mission. Evnen told KLIN News, “We went for the World Expo that is being held in Dubai. It is held once every five years. The U.S. has a pavilion there that they built. In the pavilion, Nebraska is one of two agricultural states that were featured. In addition to that, the Gulfood Show was going on. It is the largest food show in the world so our delegates had the opportunity to visit with a variety of vendors there.”
The goal was to promote international commerce and the international exchange of education and culture. Topics of the mission included agricultural technology that included water utilization, value added ag products, food preparation, pest control, network security, and entrepreneurs in other sectors. Experts from the University of Nebraska gave presentations that showed research in areas of beef production, water management, and precision irrigation. University leaders also meet with representatives from the U.A.E. and Jordan.
Evnen says, “In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and in Jordan, there is an emphasis on food security. With the University that can share with these countries our advances in agricultural technology and with our commodity groups that can supply the commodities themselves to these countries, it was a very good time to visit.”
The Expo 2020 Dubai took place February 8-13th. The Gulfood Show in Dubai was February 13-17th.