Gov. Nathan Deal, just back from a visit to the Panama Canal, told Georgia farmers and agricultural leaders Wednesday the time has never been better to expand their businesses by exporting through the Port of Savannah.
Speaking on the opening day of the inaugural International Agribusiness Conference and Expo at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center, Deal urged attendees to use their time at the two-day conference to explore export opportunities as a way to grow their farming businesses and tap into a growing global market.
“We in Georgia are fortunate to have the fourth-largest and fastest-growing port in the country,” he said, adding that the port is actually second in exports.
“When the Panama Canal Expansion is complete in 2015 and the Savannah harbor is deepened a few years later, we can expect to grow even faster.
“We have trucks and trains from all over the state that can transport the produce and products of Georgia farmers to the port,” he said. “We now have an inland port in Cordele that provides a larger area of the state with direct access, making getting your products to market even easier.”
In June, Deal, the Georgia Ports Authority and the Cordele Intermodal Services signed a memorandum of understanding that ensures a direct, 200-mile rail route between Cordele and the Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City Terminal.
The partnership is expected to create and expand international markets for regional business; reduce highway traffic; cut shipping costs; and provide new service offerings to benefit shippers, truckers and ocean carriers.
The conference, which is co-sponsored by Georgia Southern University and the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, featured a variety of speakers focusing on agricultural and trade issues. A pre-conference farm tour included the Claxton Fruit Cake Co., the Vidalia Onion Vegetable Research Center and Mascot Pecans.
“The agriculture and shipping industries are critical to the vitality of Georgia’s economy,” said Charles Patterson, vice president for research and economic development at GSU.
“In 2012, the state had $37.9 billion in exports, with nearly 40 percent of those agricultural products going through the Port of Savannah,” he said. “The Agribusiness Conference and Expo is designed to provide participants with greater knowledge of how these industries are so integrally linked and how they should be part of any successful business strategy.”
The meeting is expected to wrap up today with a tour of the Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City Terminal.
Earlier in the day, Deal addressed the annual meeting of the Georgia Economic Developers Association, telling those gathered at the Hyatt Regency Savannah that his No. 1 goal is to make Georgia the No. 1 state in the country in which to do business.
“That’s not just for bragging rights,” he said.
“It’s because it translates into jobs.”