The Initiative presented Ohio agricultural businesses and organizations in a special booth at the Agritech 2009 International Tradeshow in Tel-Aviv, Israel from May 5-7, 2009. Agritech is the largest agriculture tradeshow in the Middle East – drawing over 25,000 visitors from around the world. A triennial event, this marks the second OIAI involvement with Agritech.
The Ohio Booth showcased promotional materials from 27 Ohio agriculture companies, associations, and economic development organizations. Participants received the exposure needed to attract buyers from Israel and other industrialized and developing countries and emerging markets in the Middle East.
Ohio companies participating in Agritech’s Ohio booth include:
DLM Plastics (Findlay, Ohio) – makes custom designed and manufactured flexible products;
Graminex (Deschler, Ohio) - produces non-solvent extracted flower pollen;
Lauren International (New Philadelphia, Ohio) - engineers polymer products and materials;
Redex (Salem, Ohio) - manufactures and distributes the Udderly Smooth family of products for dry, chapped, and cracked skin;
Sure to Grow (Beachwood, Ohio) – creates plant growth media technology specifically for greenhouse and hydroponics;
YSI, Inc. (Yellow Springs, Ohio) - designs sensor instrumentation and real-time monitoring systems for natural resources and aquatic life;
Prime Equipment Group (Columbus, Ohio) - manufactures, sells, and services innovative poultry processing equipment.
Participating Ohio agricultural associations and organizations include:
Braintree Business Development Center;
Center for Innovative Food Technology;
Maumee Valley Growers;
Ohio Aquaculture Association;
Ohio Business Development Coalition;
Ohio Department Agriculture;
Ohio Department of Development;
Ohio-Israel Agricultural Initiative;
Ohio Seed Improvement Association;
Ohio Soybean Council;
Ohio State University;
In 2004, The Negev Foundation brought Ohio companies to the annual Israfood-Hotex exhibition in Tel Aviv, Israel for the first time. They returned again in 2005. The Foundation provided registration assistance and information for seventeen Ohio food companies. With approximately 30,000 food distributors, retailers, wholesalers, restaurants, and hotel representatives attending, Israfood is the largest event of its kind in the Middle East. The invitation-only exhibition showcases international products from dozens of countries and hopes to attract more American businesses to display their products.
As part of the Initiative’s efforts, the U.S. Embassy in Tel-Aviv reserved a booth and display spaces for Ohio companies and trained specialists to do the on-site work at the event. These representatives staffed the pavilions, assembled displays, searched for distributors, and established contacts with Israeli, Middle Eastern, and European businesses.
The U.S. Embassy subsidized most of the cost of participating in the event and offered Ohio businesses a diplomatic discount for shipping to Israfood, which allowed companies to save money on their expenses. Because of the favorable currency exchange rate and free trade agreements between Israel, America, and Europe, Ohio companies were able to be more competitively priced than companies from other nations in food distribution.
Between 2004 and 2005, a total of seventeen Ohio companies were showcased at Israfood’s Ohio Booth:
In 2004, The Negev Foundation began sponsoring an annual exhibit of Israeli technology at The Ohio State University’s Farm Science Review (FSR), located at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center outside Columbus. The Israel Agriculture Pavilion has been a staple at the event for five consecutive years. Even in 2009, Israel was the only country to have its own pavilion at the review. Since 2004, 29 Israeli companies have been represented in addition to Israeli agriculture and trade organizations. In 2008, Israeli Agricultural Attaché Yakov Poleg came to visit the pavilion as well.
Israeli companies represented include: aquaculture, irrigation, fertigation (drip fertilizing), greenhouse, pesticide, and software companies. The pavilion has also featured printed information and videos on Israeli technology, R&D projects, and agricultural and trade organizations.
The agriculture and technology companies featured at the 2008 FSR Israel Agriculture Pavilion include:
Videos and materials from the following sources have also been featured:
