NEWS RELEASE
U.S., Brazilian Soybean Farmers Partner to Build
Soy Demand in India
MUMBAI, INDIA
(Dec. 15, 2006) –U.S. soybean farmers are partnering with Brazilian
soybean farmers to promote global demand for soybeans in India. Today,
while participating in the first-ever joint grower trade mission, U.S.
soybean farmer-leaders met with Brazilian farmers in Mumbai, India, to
discuss how they could work together to increase market potential and
improve soybean farmer profitability by removing trade barriers and
improving market access.
The farmer-leaders signed a Global Grower Development Agreement between
the United States Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and APROSOJA, the
Soybean Producers Association of Mato Grosso. Farmer-leaders from the
United Soybean Board (USB) and American Soybean Association (ASA) were
on hand to endorse the agreement.
The agreement will focus on removing barriers to trade with India, and
the two countries will work on reverse marketing in India, allowing that
country to consume more of its own soybeans and soybean meal. Similar
agreements were signed by U.S. farmer-leaders with Paraguayan farmers in
June, and with Argentine farmers in October.
“Growing future demand for soybeans is going to help all
soybean-producing countries, not just the United States,” said Mark
Pietz, USSEC Vice Chair and a soybean farmer from Lakefield, Minn. “The
Brazilians understand that it is time for North and South America to
begin identifying ways to share the cost of building demand for soy
products.”
India’s population is rising rapidly, and it is expected to surpass
China, with a population of 1.5 billion people, by 2040. Currently,
India produces a large amount of soybeans, but the reverse marketing
efforts could not only remove Indian soybean meal from the export
market, but also create new Indian consumers of soy. At one time, China
was an exporter of soy, but today it is the largest importer of soy,
thanks in part to checkoff-sponsored reverse marketing efforts.
The agreement with Brazil states that APROSOJA and USSEC agree to expand
cooperation in the area of market development. The countries will focus
building mutual benefit in marketing and other areas for the global
growth of the soy industry. The agreement will broadly promote the
development and use of the soybeans as a valuable commodity that
advances the interests of its producers, processors and users through
product and market development support. Further, the organizations agree
to cooperate on resolution of soy trade barriers and restrictions.
“We understand that this agreement is very important for Mato Grosso
state soybean farmers because it is the beginning of a new time when a
single farmer is not taking care of only his farm and yield, but also
looking at the market development that can provide him better prices,”
said Rui Carlos Prado, President of the Accociacao dos Produtores de
Soja do Mato Grosso (APROSOJA). “It is amazing to see how farmers from
different countries can build understanding when they talk to each other
about common problems, and have the vision that this understanding will
be good for all the farmers in the world.”
The activities of the U.S. Soybean Export Council to expand
international markets for U.S. soybeans and soy products are made
possible by producer checkoff dollars invested by the United Soybean
Board and various State Soybean Councils, support from cooperating
industry, and through the American Soybean Association’s investment of
cost-share funding provided by USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service.
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Downloadable photographs of the signing ceremony available at:
http://www.soygrowers.com/library/india/images9.htm
