A26—Lancaster Fannins, Saturday, February 9,1980
ST. LOUIS, Mo. Japan,
the largest single customer
for American soybeans,
annually imports 5932
million worth of soybeans
and soybean products or the
equivalent to every eighth
row of soybeans grown in the
United States.
“We expect Japan’s
soybean demand to increase
one percent in 1980,” says
Ken Bader, chief executive
officer of the American
Soybean Association.
“With a four million
metric tonne market, a one
percent increase means
Japan needs to import an
additional 1.5 million
bushels. ASA has been
conducting market
development activities in
Japan since 1956.1 think this
huge market demonstrates
Grain executive presets
‘dangerous times
FARGO, N.D. - U.S.
agricultural policy faces a
major identity crisis as a
result of the Soviet gram
embargo, a commodity
export executive said here
Monday.
Richard J. Goodman, vice
president-government rela
tions, Continental Gram
Company, told the Fargo
Farm Forum that “the tune
ahead is dangerous.”
According to Goodman, “if
the embargo does not ad
vance established foreign
policy objectives, there will
be those who say that the
export controls were not
broad enough.”
On the other hand, he
continued, “If the embargo
is deemed effective, then its
further use as an instrument
of foreign policy will be most
inviting.”
Goodman observed if the
embargo does not result in a
“serious shorting of the
Soviet gram supply” then it
will obviously not have been
worthwhile
Even if the embargo is
partially effective, he went
on, “the question will still
remain whether - of the
range of options available to
the administration - a gram
and oilseed embargo was the
necessary choice.”
Goodman noted the
blurred market picture as a
result of the embargo:
“carryovers projected for
both wheat and feedgrams at
the end of this marketing
year have increased.”
Japan leads soybean imports
the tremendous benefits
resulting from market
development programs
funded through the state
soybean grower investment
checkoffs.”
Bader reports the ASA
Market Development staff
based in Tokyo is con
centrating in three areas m
1980: animal nutrition,
human nutrition and soy oil.
Activities in these areas
include seminars by U.S.
technical consultants, U.S.
visits by Japanese trade
teams, translation of
technical literature, feeding
trials, participating in trade
teams, hosting special
conferences and product
promotion.
“Our overseas staff in
Japan and nine other
And over the past few
weeks, he explained, the
• outlook has changed from
full free production to one of
the possible acreages
diversion this year and set
aside requirements next
year and beyond.
“The possibility of such
production controls will
increase if importing
countries react to the gram
embargo by stepping up
protection and capitalization
of their domestic agriculture
for greater self-sufficiency.
“The problem is further
compounded if other ex
porting nations gam trade
advantages as a result of the
grain embargo, ” he said.
Goodman acknowledged
the entry of the federal
government mto the gram
business once more through
recent actions by the Com
modity Credit Corporation
on wheat and com.
“We must reconcile
ourselves to this fact and
recognize that m these
circumstances the CCC can
control market prices, if
farmers elect not to sell
I^l
write SHOWING ■CTTEH
country offices are well
aware of 1979’s record 2.24
billion bushel crop,” Bader
says. “All are actively
involved in market
development activities to
create additional worldwide
demand for U.S. soybeans
and soybean products. In his
most recent activitiy report,
ASA-Asia Director Gil
Griffis asked me to share
some of this fall’s market
development work con
ducted by the Tokyo staff.”
A Tokyo staff member
escorted eight executives of
the meal department of the
Japanese Oil Processors
Association on a U.S. study
mission. The JOPA team
studied U.S. soybean and
soybean meal production
and had an opportunity to
ahead 9
grain stocks at release or
call levels of the farmer-held
reserve.”
He added the CCC will be
able to sell for export on a
government-to-government
basis such stocks, when it
chooses, should such sales be
perceived as furthering the
nation’s foreign pohcy ob
jectives.
Looking to the future,
Goodman said debate over
the further role of the federal
government in agriculture
should come to a head later
m the year.
“Once the idea becomes
widespread that agriculture
is not only a key economic
asset but one which can be
manipulated for foreign
pohcy or domestic con
siderations, we will then face
the overriding question of
who is going to run what in
agriculture and for what
purpose.”
see first hand how soybean
meal helps mcrease yields in
livestock and poultry.
ASA sponsored a six
member Yamagata TV film
crew trip to the U.S The
crew filmed U.S. agriculture
and soybean production toi a
television special to be
shown m Japan.
ASA and the Soy Sauce
Brewers Association jointly
sponsored a soy sauce
seminar that was attended
by 180 consumer and
women’s group leaders. The
seminar provided in
formation on production,
grading and new uses for
this traditional food. This is
the first in a series of seven
soy sauce seminars to be
held in 1980.
ASA’s booth at the 1979
Japan Catering Show drew
more than 10,000 visitors.
The visitors received
samples of pure soy milk and
soy milk mixed with coffee,
strawberry, mandarin
orange, pineapple and
vegetables. The visitors
included food distributors,
nutritionists and food ser
vice representatives.
Associate Country
Director for Human
Nutrition Yosiko Kojima,
who has worked for soybean
growers for 23 years,
directed two human
nutrition seminars. More
than 220 school lunch
nutritionists, chefs, teachers
and government officials
attended her soy protein
lunch seminar.
Another 300,000 persons
watched the seminar over
three television stations.
More than 275 school lunch
nutritionists, teachers and
government officials at
tended three ASA soy oil
school lunch seminars.
ASA-Tokyo staff escorted
three other trade teams to
the U.S A 25-member team
of dairy specialists studied
American dairy
management practices with
an emphasis on the value of
soybean meal as a means of
increasing yield.
An 18-member Soybean
Study Team traveled to the
U.S. to determine America’s
ability to meet Japan’s
present and future
requirements for soybeans.
A 37-member team of swme
specialists visited the U.S. to
study swme management
practices with an emphasis
on the use of soybean meal
as a feed ingredient
Karl Sera, associate
country director for animal
nutrition, presented two
programs on protein sup
plements over Japan’s
educational television
network. Thousands of
Japanese producers wat
ched his two 30-mmute
programs.
“These market
development activities in
Japan, and more than 150
other activities m 75 other
countries, have helped ex
pand worldwide demand for
U.S.-produced soybeans,”
Bader says. “We now export
more soybeans than we grew
in 1968.”
“These
market
development activities are
the direct result of the half
cent or one cent checkoff
invested by nearly 500,000
soybean growers in 21
states,” he said
USDA’s
Foreign
Agricultural Service adds
another $2.8 million for
market development
projects The end result is
greater demand for U.S.
soybeans, better profits for
American soybean growers
and a $8 billion addition tdf
the U.S. economy.