NC Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is leading a NC trade mission to China.
Troxler and the NC delegation left Beijing arriving in Kunming in southwestern China just in time for the ceremony marking the signing of an agreement of mutual understanding with the Yunnan Department of Agriculture.
Troxler, Deputy Director-General Zhang Zhize and Sen. Bob Atwater signed the agreement, which represents the beginning of a dialogue between the N.C. Department of Agriculture and the Yunnan Department of Agriculture about ways the two can work together to benefit agriculture in both regions.
Like NC, Yunnan Province is a major tobacco producer. Yunnan also produces cut flowers, sugar cane and potatoes, among other crops.
On Thursday, Yunnan officials will lead the NC delegation on a tour of area farms and a local cigarette factory.