State Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain is working with Southwest Louisiana farmers to increase export capacity by promoting Louisiana products worldwide.

“We are working hard on increasing our export capacity and selling products across the world,” Strain said in addressing local farmers this week in Jennings. “That’s what raises our commodity prices.”

“We’ve got to sell our products. Eat all we can but we’ve got to sell the rest.”

Strain said a push is underway in Louisiana to sell more Louisiana products across the United States and across the world to help grow the rural economy and expand economic development, according to Strain.

A surge in shipment would likely mean a rise in commodity prices and open markets for locally grown products including shrimp, crawfish, corn, soybeans and other more.

Strain was part of a delegation of agriculture commissioners who traveled to Cuba twice this year to make direct connections to sell locally grown products. A third trip is planned for December.

“We made direct connections with the Cubans and the Cuban farmers,” Strain said. “They changed the rules, we can now sell directly to private individuals and co-ops.The majority of land in Cuba is either leased to, or owned by individuals, not the government, so we can use American dollars.”

He said Cubans want to buy rice, chickens, eggs and other products from American farmers.

“We’ve got some good sales and we are going to amplify that and grow some sales,” he said.

Strain is also part of a group headed to England and Brazil on an international trade mission to establish direct connections and explore new markets for Louisiana agriculture products, including biogas to make chemicals.

Efforts are also underway to promote “certified Louisiana” products which are made, grown, manufactured, processed, produced or substantially transferred in the state.

Over 700 companies are currently participating in the “certified Louisiana” program. The products are identified by a “certified Louisiana” logo and include seafood, honey, strawberries, pecans, seasonings, syrup, coffee, spirits and other products.

In Southwest Louisiana, leaders are focusing on selling more rice to foreign countries, according to State Sen. Mark Abraham.

“There are a lot of countries setting up their own mills and they’re taking the rough rice, shipping it there and milling it themselves,” Abraham said. “Then they will take that milled rice and bag it themselves.”

To enhance that trend, Abraham said more rough rice and mill bins are needed at the Port of Lake Charles to help local farmers move their rice with cheaper transportation costs.

“You can ship your rice there, get it to these foreign countries,” Abraham said. “That makes us move more rice.”

The only way to get better market prices for rice is to sell more rice, Strain said.

“Our whole goal is to sell more rice,” Strain said. “We are working with the millers and the farmers and all, so that if there’s an avenue to sell rice, we want to sell it.”

State Rep. Troy Romero said the good news is the rice industry is working together to try to make the Port of Lake Charles more accessible and useful to local rice farmers.

“We’re trying to make this facility where it can be utilized by everyone, whether you are trying to move rough rice or milled rice, it can be utilized by everyone in the industry,” Romero said. “And it’s a hard play for all of the farming industry, especially the rice industry, because it’s always been this is our deal and don’t step on what I am doing.”

The goal is to create a facility that will be “very efficient and very modern” for everyone involved.