Ag Export Countries By SUSAN D. BROWN Planning and Evaluation, Foreign Market Development Foreign Agricultural Service Today’s strong demand for agricul tural products has yet to cause com placency among U.S. competitors, who are spending more than ever on pro moting their farm products in export markets. From $63 million in fiscal 1966, market development expenditures by the other major agricultural exporters > rose to over $135 million in fiscal 1973. Much of the increase in spending came in 1973, and current reports indicate yet another jump for fiscal 1974. U.S. com petitors arc convinced that export mar ket development is a long-term respon sibility, not to be influenced by short term supply and price variations. Canada. The largest increase—ll 3 percent from I972—in market develop ment spending has come from this coun try, which has emphasized export growth by initiating a new Federal market de velopment program in 1973. That pro gram was designed to give financial incentives and assistance to projects originating in the private sector for products other than grains and oilseeds. In the past, grains and oilseeds— because of their prime importance to Canadian export trade—have received the greatest share of Canadian market development funds. But because the commodities are bulk items not bought directly by consumers, activities em ployed most often have been team trips, utilization courses, and other trade- 1 Includes expenditures by Canada, Aus tralia, France, (he Netherlands, Denmark. Israel, New Zealand, and South Africa. oriented efforts. Among the team trips last year was one by Japanese livestock specialists, who spent 2 weeks in Canads assessing the dairy cattle, beef cattle, swine, and meat packing industries. Educational efforts have included sponsorship of the Canadian International Grains Institute, which conducts highly technical training courses for grains and oilseeds, as well as public relations programs directed at current and prospective wheat buyers from all over the world. In addition, the Rapeseed Association of Canada concentrates heavily on the development of markets for rapeseed meal. In 1973, it published a bulletin dealing with the feeding of rapeseed meal to livestock and poultry, plus a film on the subject. Both were prepared in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and English and distributed in the appropriate countries. Australia. Recognizing the importance of agricultural exports to its economy, the Australian Government has for some time been involved in export market development. These efforts have accelerated over the years and are ex pected to continue to do so—despite the country’s near-record foreign ex change reserves this year. One recent move was enactment of a new exports incentive scheme—replac ing a previous one that expired in June —to be effective for 5 years beginning July 1, 1974. The program consists of market development grants to firms willing to seek out and develop overseas markets and to participate in Govern ment-sponsored promotions. Emphasis is on new firms and new markets, but all types of farm exports are eligible. The Australian Government is also - Increasing Promotion trying to stimulate exporter interest in the State trading countries of Latin America and Africa and has itself moved to develop trade relations with the People’s Republic of China, the USSR, and other' centrally planned economies. In addition, the Government provides assistance to overseas trade missions, and commodity boards carry out promotion activities for most major exports. Of the latter group, the Australian Meat Board makes the largest single promotional outlay. This dominance reflects the big contribution of livestock and meat products to export earnings— some 25 percent of agricultural earnings in 1973. Major targets of the Meat Board’s promotional activities have included Japan, in recent years one of Australia’s fastest growing meat markets; the Mid cast; and certain countries of Latin America. Promotional activities in V S Europe have been mainly low-key public relations efforts. Those in North America have been limited to support of the Lamb Education Center, which is joint ly sponsored by the Meat Boards of Australia and New Zealand and the American Sheep Producers' Council. Individual Meat Board campaigns during the past year have ranged from promotion of “chilled” beef at the consumer level in Japan, to a consumer education program in the Middle East, to a special “product launch” in Chile and Peru. The Australian Dried Fruits Board has concentrated on such activities as baking contests and participation in overseas trade shows. The Canned Fruits Board has spent much of its budget-over half of which goes for overseas market development—on point of-purchase promotions and publicity campaigns: and the Honey Board has y it. :>i I Continued on Page. l 7| j participated i point*of-purc tributed liter tance and u undertaken b and Wine B major target' are the Unit* Zealand, and France, i port agency, country’s ma with the goa presence in trade fairs v markets. Its CHIC Cor N« FOR PH( it?
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