Iowa Gov. Reynolds returns to India to deepen trade, agriculture ties

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is leading an eight-day trade mission to India, returning with a delegation of Iowa officials and business leaders to strengthen relationships she says are already showing results from her initial visit last year.

Reynolds, joined by Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and representatives of Iowa’s farm and business sectors, departed Sept. 6 for stops in Delhi, Pune and Mumbai. The trip will feature meetings with Indian government officials, trade associations and private-sector leaders in food, agriculture and biotechnology.

“Our visit to India last year kicked off a number of relationships between Iowa and Indian businesses and trade associations and furthered conversations on investing in Iowa and market access for certain Iowa agricultural products,” Reynolds said in a statement. “I look forward to further solidifying those relationships and establishing new connections on which to build.”

The governor’s itinerary includes a keynote address Monday at DialogueNEXT, a symposium presented by the World Food Prize Foundation to highlight global food security efforts, and a panel discussion hosted by the Sehgal Foundation, an Indian NGO focused on rural development and sustainable agriculture.

Later in the week, Reynolds will sign a partner state agreement with Maharashtra, India’s second-most populous state and an economic hub. She also will attend a memorandum of understanding ceremony between the Iowa Biotechnology Association and India’s Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises, and participate in roundtables with the U.S. Soybean Export Council, U.S. Grains Council and U.S.-India Business Council.

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Delegates joining the governor on the trade trip to India include officials from the University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa State Dairy Association and Iowa Biotechnology Association.

Building on last year’s momentum

Reynolds’ return comes a year after her 10-day inaugural trade trip to India in 2024, which took her to Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. The governor and her team signed two memorandums of understanding with Indian agricultural groups. At the time, Reynolds said the visit “already bore fruit,” pointing to expanded opportunities for Iowa ag producers and follow-up meetings with Indian companies interested in investing in Iowa.

Iowa is the nation’s top producer of corn, soybeans, pork and eggs, and India’s fast-growing population and rising demand for high-quality protein, clean energy sources like biofuels and animal feed present significant opportunities, state officials said last year.

“It’s hard to really overstate the potential long-term impact of the Indian market on our farm families and our state,” Reynolds said at the time of last year’s trade mission. “India can be an ideal partner for us for decades to come.”

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Naig, who also traveled on last year’s mission, said expanding Iowa’s reach into Asian markets is critical.

“India’s growing middle class represents a tremendous market for the high-quality products our farmers produce, from soybeans and corn to pork and eggs,” he said at the time.

The 2025 mission is designed to build on relationships established during last year’s visit and “further explore growth opportunities with one of the world’s largest emerging economies,” according to the governor’s office.

Durham, who has led multiple trade delegations overseas, has said such agreements help Iowa companies compete globally, giving Iowa businesses and farmers a foothold in markets that might otherwise be difficult to access.

The delegation also will meet with U.S. Embassy officials in Delhi and the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai, underscoring the role of federal support in promoting state-level trade.

Continuing emphasis on food security

Reynolds’ speech at DialogueNEXT links Iowa’s agricultural expertise with global food-system challenges. The symposium, hosted by the Des Moines-based World Food Prize Foundation in conjunction with CIMMYT, Borlaug Institute for South Asia and Indian Council for Agricultural Research, brings together stakeholders from around the world to discuss breakthrough agricultural innovations and reforms to improve global food security.

Iowa’s involvement highlights the state’s bid to position itself as not only a leading exporter of food and farm products but also a leader in global agricultural innovation.

Reynolds on Monday, in a keynote address at DialogueNEXT, emphasized the state’s advances in precision agriculture, biotechnology, renewable fuels and soil conservation that make food systems more sustainable. Linking food and energy security, Reynolds pointed to Iowa’s leadership in ethanol and biodiesel and said partnerships with India could create “new pathways to feed the world,” while helping countries like India diversify their energy sources and reduce emissions.

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“For its part, India is not only a rising economic power. It also plays a vital role in building solutions for food and energy security,” Reynolds said. “By combining Iowa’s agricultural innovation with India’s scale, talent, and growing market, we can create new pathways to feed the world.”

Reynolds’ office said it was unable to provide a cost estimate for this year’s trip. Last year’s trip was paid for through a combination of state economic development funds and private contributions from Iowa businesses. The total cost paid by the state for last year’s trip was $210,488, according to the governor’s office.

The governor has made international outreach a centerpiece of her economic strategy, leading missions in recent years to Italy, Kosovo, and Israel. She has said that Iowa must be proactive in finding new markets amid shifting global trade patterns.

The 2025 delegation is scheduled to return Sept. 13.

Erin Murphy of The Gazette Des Moines Bureau contributed to this report.

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