United States corn shipments to Mexico have slipped in recent months making Japan now the biggest importer of U.S. corn. South Dakota Corn Growers Association President Troy Knecht says to continue to grow that market the U.S. needs to strike a bilateral trade agreement with Japan. He says this is the only way to keep up with the European Union, which recently finalized an FTA with Japan.

He says U.S. trade negotiators also need to finalize bi-lateral deals with several other Southeast Asian countries.

And Knecht says with corn exports slipping to Mexico, the U.S.’s former number one market, officials also need to restore trade through the NAFTA modernization talks that start next month.

Corn sales to Mexico through May of this year were down almost seven percent from last year at $1.04 billion. Meanwhile, Japan has boosted its U.S. corn purchases by 53-percent, totaling $1.19 billion.