INDIANAPOLIS – Farmers from Indiana and other states could benefit tremendously if what looks like gold is struck from ongoing trade talks with the world’s most populous country.

India is viewed as having almost endless potential for U.S. exports of corn, soybeans and other crops, along with poultry.

The developing country with 1.4 billion people has a growing economy and more households with middle- and upper-middle-class incomes able to afford more than just the basic staples in their diets.

Purchasing power in India is also enhanced by higher incomes being in the hands of people 24 years of age and younger, which makes up 45 percent of India’s population.

Courtney Kingery, CEO of the Indiana Soybean Alliance, Indiana Corn Marketing Council and Indiana Corn Growers Association, was part of a delegation that went on a USDA-sponsored trade mission trip to India last month.

She came back excited about India’s interest in becoming a trade partner with the U.S. and the role the Hoosier state can play to help meet the country’s demand for corn, soybeans, ducks and turkey.

Currently, not much trade happens between the U.S. and India, which ranks 13th in the amount of farm goods the U.S. exports to other countries.

“It can be a difference maker as this goes forward,” she said.

Indiana is the nation’s leading producer of ducks and third largest producer of turkey. The state also ranks high in the production of corn and soybeans.

Exports of poultry to India is high on the interest level of food producers since very little beef and pork are consumed in that nation.

After returning from the trip. Kingery said work has continued to connect Indiana producers with potential customers in the private sector the delegation met during the trip, and others from India who might be interested.

“I’m just really excited to see what develops over the next several years,” she said.

Driving much of the optimism is India lowering its tariffs on imports for goods such as poultry, which dropped from 30 percent to 5 percent, and reception from business owners looking to stay in good enough supply to meet growing demand.

Alexis Taylor, USDA undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, said the lower tariffs open the door for exporters to get more products into India by making their goods more competitive with the price of similar products made within the country.

Over 160 representatives from USDA, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and similar groups from a number of other states were part of the delegation.

“We’ve seen a lot of positive reception in just the few days we’ve been here,” she said during an April 24 teleconference from New Delhi, the capital of India.

Katie Nelson, deputy director for ISDA, pointed out that duck from Indiana was served at a restaurant during a trade mission trip dinner with representatives from the foreign country.

“One of our entrees was Indiana duck. I have to say it was delicious and really awesome to celebrate that with our Indian counterparts,” she said.

Kingery said demand for corn and soybeans would increase not just from the higher amounts of feed required to raise more ducks and turkey to fill more orders from India.

She said India has a goal of mixing gasoline with 20 percent ethanol in the coming years and that will require more corn, the key ingredient that country might not be able to supply entirely by itself.

Kingery also sees potential for India to import more corn and soybeans to feed its livestock.

She views India and the U.S. as a perfect fit to become trading partners since both nations are democracies and India, once heavily reliant on food support from other countries, is now in a position economically to provide the U.S. and other countries with some of its food and other goods.

“This was more than just, hey, let’s shake hands and take pictures. There were business meetings happening the entire time we were there. We absolutely continue to move on that momentum,” she said.