In an effort improve trade relationships, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers will travel to Europe next month to showcase Wisconsin’s economy.

Evers, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Secretary Missy Hughes and representatives of 10 Wisconsin companies plan to meet with officials in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands to “showcase the state’s expertise in advanced manufacturing, biotech, food manufacturing, energy, and water technology industries,” the governor’s office announced Thursday.

“This trade mission will underscore Wisconsin’s manufacturing, health, scientific, and food processing industries in a region where consumers with 60 percent of the European Union’s purchasing power live within 300 miles,” Evers said in a statement.

Hughes said the countries are home to two of Europe’s largest ports and are considered a “gateway for Wisconsin entrepreneurs looking to export to Europe.”

“Wisconsin already has valuable partnerships with companies in the region, and this mission will allow us to solidify those relationships and build new ones,” Hughes said.

The governor’s office did not provide specific dates for the planned trip, but said it will take place in September.

The Netherlands is the second-largest exporter of food in the world, behind the U.S. The U.S., meanwhile, is the sixth-largest agricultural supplier to the Netherlands, according to the governor’s office.

The state’s two-year spending plan, signed by Evers this summer, includes $2 million in state funds for the Wisconsin Agricultural Export Promotion Program, which supports increased export of agricultural products such as dairy, meat, crops and other commodities.

Agriculture is a $100 billion-plus industry in Wisconsin. In 2020, the state exported $3.37 billion worth of food, forestry and other agricultural products.