News

Trade remains a top priority for soy growers

The president of the American Soybean Association says continued market access and expansion are critical for soybean growers.

Kevin Scott says finalizing the U.S. trade relations committee will help.

“We have some of the major players in but a lot of the undersecretaries are not in place yet and they need to be in place so agricultural issues can be addressed internationally,” he says.

The South Dakota farmer recently testified during a House Ag Committee hearing. Scott tells Brownfield there was a lot of discussion about China, the largest importer of U.S. soybeans.

“We talked a lot about China, unfair trade practices, the need to normalize relationships and regulations and restrictions to trade, and the need to reduce tariffs,” he says.

But, he says the U.S. must diversify markets.

“All markets are of interest to soybean growers. We had all our eggs in one basket with China…they’re a great market for soybeans and one in three rows of soybeans goes to China from the U.S.,” he says. “But, we need to diversify that. Egypt has been a strong market for us with the aquaculture market, the Philippines have been great for our soy meal markets. we need to reengage with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) range of countries, southeastern Asian countries.”

Brownfield interviewed Scott during Trade Talk at the 2021 NAFB Convention.

Add Comment

Your email address will not be published.


 

Stay Up to Date

Subscribe for our newsletter today and receive relevant news straight to your inbox!