The United States soybean industry is working to find two or three news China markets to make up for lost U.S. soybean exports amidst the trade war. Paul Burke with the U.S. Soybean Export Council says they’re using Ag Trade Promotion dollars from the trade aid package to host dozens of teams in the U.S. This week buyers from southeast Asia toured farms and infrastructure in South Dakota and North Dakota because those farmers were hardest hit by the trade war with China.
Burke says the buyers on the trade team represent countries that have already stepped up to buy more product with China being out of the market.
USSEC ramped up export development efforts well before the trade war broke in anticipation of China stepping back. So, Burke says U.S. soybean exports aren’t down as much as they could be. However, the normal marketing pattern has been disrupted and they’re competing head on with South American beans in these markets.
He says during this week’s trade mission they focused on the investment farmers and the industry in the northwestern corn belt have made in the logistics chain the last 10 years.
