ISDA Hosts First Turkish Trade Delegation

By ANN ALLEN

Indiana Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Indiana State Department of Agriculture hosted a delegation from Turkey last week to showcase Indiana hardwoods, an industry that generates $7.5 billion dollars annually and employs more than 54,000 Hoosiers.

The relationship between ISDA and Turkey began last year when ISDA traveled to the Intermob Furniture Fair in Istanbul with the American Hardwood Export Council and Hardwood Sales Export Group. The trip, made at no cost to the State of Indiana, resulted in 35 trade leads for lumber and veneer.

“International trade holds huge potential for Hoosier farmers and addition jobs,” said Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, who also serves as the state’s Secretary of Agriculture. “We will continue to aggressively pursue these opportunities alongside our agriculture community.”

The group visited Indiana Veneers Corp. in Indianapolis, the oldest sliced veneer mill in North America, John M. Wooley Lumber Co., Indianapolis, a full-service lumber yard, and Pike Lumber Company in Akron, northern Indiana’s largest manufacturer and distributor of quality hardwoods.

ISDA hosted a follow-up session to provide one-on-one meetings between the Turkish delegation and Indiana manufacturers to discuss purchasing opportunities for veneer, lumber and logs.

“Indiana hardwood offer tremendous opportunity for our Hoosier economy,” said Indiana Agriculture Director Joe Kelsay.

Since its establishment in 2005, ISDA has worked domestically and globally for marketing/sales opportunities for Indiana hardwood manufacturers.

From left:  Pike President John Brown, sales manager Craig Brouyette, plant manager Chris Herrell, Cihan Avci, M. Mahir Arin, Sabri Avci,  USDA ag marketing specialist Ibrahim Sirtioglu, Pike sales representative Angie Capper, Zafer Eser, Serdar, Eksioglu, Erkin Eksioglu and Michael Seidl, ISDA program manager for hardwood economic development. Ann Allen Photo

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