Missouri’s governor and the first lady are in Panama this (Monday) morning on an international trade mission.
Boosting Missouri exports to Panama is a priority for Governor Mike Parson, who farms in Bolivar and who describes the trade mission as another opportunity to strengthen relationships with key international partners. Governor Parson tells “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” that he also wants to thank Missouri National Guard members who are participating in a multinational exercise to ensure the free transit of commerce through the Panama Canal:
“They’ve been deployed down there for decades, you know, down there with Panama,” the governor says.
The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The Missouri National Guard has participated in a state partnership program (SPP) with Panama since 1996.
Missouri’s governor is also hoping to boost exports from the Show-Me state to Panama during his international trade mission, which continues through Tuesday. The governor and first lady are on the trade mission, along with other state officials and business leaders. The Missouri nonprofit Hawthorn Foundation is funding the trade mission. Governor Parson tells 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” that he’s also meeting with Kansas City Southern railroad representatives:
“When Kansas City Southern merged with Canadian Pacific on the rail to make the first continuous rail from Canada to Mexico and North America and the headquarters are in Kansas City. So they run the rail down there by Panama City. They’re the ones that run that track up and down the canal,” says Parson.
The merger establishes the first and only single-line transnational railroad linking Canada, the United States and Mexico. The governor’s office says Missouri exported $37-million in goods to Panama in 2023, including dairy products, grain and refrigeration equipment.
You can listen to the full “Wake Up” interview with Governor Parson here.
