Growing trade is key to future of this state

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A North Dakota trade mission to China returned last week with an agreement to share information between China’s National Energy Administration, which supervises a commercial-scale, coal-to-liquid energy plant, and American Lignite Energy LLC, which is trying to develop a coal-to-liquid operation in North Dakota capable of producing 30,000 barrels of gasoline per day from lignite coal.

As a result of that same mission, Dickinson State University signed an agreement with Northwest A&F University in Yangling. DSU now has partnerships with 13 institutions of higher education in China. The diversity apparent on the DSU campus is nothing short of remarkable.

Six companies that produce and market food-grade soybeans grown in North Dakota or neighboring Minnesota also were a part of the mission, and representatives of those companies met with soy-food producers from Shenzhen, Hong Kong and in Jakarta, Indonesia.

North Dakota trade with China amounts to $11 million a year, up 50 percent from 2005. That number could grow even larger as China’s economy continues to expand with a growth rate of 10 percent a year and it diverts more of its energy from agriculture to manufacturing.

It’s not just North Dakota’s trade and connections with China that are growing. The state is looking to do business with the Ukraine, Japan, South Korea, Turkey and a host of other countries. And key to this effort is the North Dakota Trade Office, a nonprofit organization for which Lt. Gov. Jack Dylrymple serves as chairman of the board.

Most of this work was done during the tenure of Susan Geib, who was the executive director of the state Trade Office until March 31. While credit for the state’s success in trade during recent years goes to many people, organizations and companies, Geib was at the heart of that good work. Taking Geib’s place is Dean Gorder, a native North Dakotan with experience in manufacturing and global markets.

The state’s trade office has been aggressive and proactive in promoting North Dakota products, whether they be farm commodities, farm equipment or education, to markets around the globe. It has been successful and that needs to continue. The state cannot rely on others to maintain a growing North Dakota economy.

The North Dakota Trade office gives the state a certain amount of control over its own destiny.

Tags: opinion, editorials, trade