U.S. suppliers give update to Japan’s natto industry

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Natto suppliers from the United States on Monday evening had their second conversation of the year with Japanese companies in an online update meeting organized by the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance, the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) and the Japan Natto Cooperative Society Federation (JNCSF).

The update was an opportunity to share information, including 2021 post-harvest crop conditions and an outlook for 2022. Presenters represented different companies in different regions of the United States.

Natto is a traditional Japanese food, commonly eaten at breakfast, that is made from fermented soybeans. Natto is popular in Japan for its health benefits. The U.S. supplies about 70% of the soybeans for Japan’s natto industry. Natto beans are small, with a clear hilum and thin seed coat.

“Anytime you have interaction in this relationship with the natto association, it’s pretty special for all suppliers,” said Bob Sinner, SSGA board director and president of SB&B Foods. “Following our first Natto Summit there was so much appreciation for the dialogue that was created to address challenges and opportunities.” 

The third Natto Summit took place in Fargo, North Dakota, in 2019. COVID has delayed the next one, although the hope is that it will take place in 2022.

“Everyone is anxious for the next natto summit,” said Sinner, who co-hosted the U.S. presentations, “and this dialogue was to fill the gaps through the pandemic. It’s important for us to communicate not only our crop size, because of the volatile weather we had in 2021, but the crop quality, so there are no surprises.”

Scott Sinner of SB&B, Bruce Wymer of Citizens LLC in Michigan, Tal Taggart of Taggart Seed in Arkansas and Tom Taliaferro of Montague Farms in Virginia, gave regional condition reports. Rick Brandenburger of Richland IFC reported on the state of the U.S. food-grade soy industry and variety development and showed off the new U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brand mark. Darwin Rader of Zeeland Farm Services presented on the current state of containerized shipping. The group also answered questions about tighter supplies and higher costs that are affecting the market and how those could translate to the natto manufacturers’ production costs next year.

Members of the JNCSF said consumption of natto is rising in Japan, and that higher prices should not deter that climb. They added that there is strength in their partnership with U.S. soy producers and that they’re continuing to promote natto as a safe, tasty, healthy food both in Japan and to overseas customers.

In addition, USSEC’s Will McNair presented on the Specialty U.S. Soy Database, which is an online tool to help those looking to source soybeans specifically for use in soy foods, including natto.

Hybrid GTE brings ag to St. Louis, virtual platform

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ST. LOUIS – Demand was the theme of the U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange & Specialty Grains Conference, which took place here Tuesday-Thursday.

Global demand for U.S. Soy overall, demand for Identity Preserved soy and specialty grains and demand for some real human interaction.

After COVID-19 forced the 2020 GTE to be all virtual, the 2021 show was a hybrid event, with about 300 attendees gathering safely in steamy St. Louis and another 900 joining online from 59 countries.

“We’ve been waiting for more than 18 months to gather again in person to connect, reconnect and do business,” said Eric Wenberg, executive director of the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA), which co-hosted the GTE with the U.S. Soybean Export Council. “At the same time, we had people on the virtual platform networking, connecting to businesses and making sales. India was pinging businesses from the time the show started.”

Following a night out with the crowd at Busch Stadium for a baseball game between the hometown St. Louis Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers, the GTE kicked off early Wednesday morning with a robust agenda. SSGA Chairman Bob Sinner joined USSEC Chair Monte Peterson on the stage to get things started.

“The value of our partnerships is immeasurable,” Sinner said, “and by hosting events like this one, we can learn directly from you about your biggest challenges and who we might address any concerns. To us, it’s clear that collaboration is the best way to make things happen. That’s true whether you’re working with your peers on a neighboring farm or on another continent.”

Sinner and Wenberg participated in a media briefing, along with Peterson and USSEC CEO Jim Sutter, and talked about transportation challenges SSGA member exporters are facing, how SSGA has innovated to make certain business connections continued during COVID and the U.S. Identity Preserved system and the demand for IP soya and specialty grains.

“The demand for identity preserved, non-GMO field crops from the U.S. has been staggering; the demand currently exceeds supply,” said Sinner, who is president of SB&B Foods. “Our customers have realized the benefits of sourcing these crops and their specific IP qualities for food manufacture because they have realized how it improves their retail products and sales.”

Sinner continued that demand is growing over a variety of sectors, including the pet food industry, and that SSGA is encouraging more U.S. growers to consider identity preserved production.

The in-person and virtual GTE audience heard from globally recognized industry leaders and experts about global supply and demand trends, trade policy updates, as well as research on the quality and sustainable aspects of U.S. soy and specialty grains.

Wenberg led a session on the future of food featuring speakers Jon Tanaka, senior project manager of scientific and regulatory affairs for Morinaga Nutritional Foods; Dina Fernandez, global director, protein nutrition solutions for ADM; and Tony Andrew, protein solutions business unit leader for International Flavors & Fragrances.

“Consumers are embracing plant-based diets, and there are opportunities for all plant-protein sources –  including soy,” Andrew said, adding that consumer perception of soy over the last several years has grown, especially after exposure to further education about soy.

Tanaka, whose company produces shelf-stable tofu, said the market for tofu and tempeh has grew by nearly 41% from 2019 to 2020.

“People do want to become healthy; they want to eat better,” Tanaka said. “Since the beginning of the pandemic there’s been a shift in consumer purchasing toward natural and organic products.”

Another highlight session featured Commissioner Carl Bentzel of the Federal Maritime Commission, who appeared with SSGA Secretary/Treasurer Darwin Rader, international sales manager for Zeeland Farm Services, and Bryan Paskewicz, account executive for Ray-Mont Logistics, to discuss the challenges facing exporters who ship by container.

“We are, right now, at a crisis in ocean shipping as a result of the things that went on over the last year,” Bentzel said, adding that the supply chain hasn’t been this congested since World War II.

A small agency with just 120 employees, the FMC is taking action where it can, Bentzel said. A recent executive order by President Biden encourages greater emphasis on FMC enforcement of the Shipping Act. However, he added, that the crisis could continue well into 2022.

“We’re here to find solutions to get us exports overseas,” Paskewicz said. “Foreign countries need food products; they need agricultural products.”

Another SSGA breakout session featured exporters reporting on progress and conditions for Identity Preserved non-GMO crops around the country. Ryan Koory, director of economics for Mercaris, moderated the session, which included presentations from Rick Brandenburger, president of Richland IFC and SSGA board director; Chase Holoubek, lead merchant for Scoular; and Brent Rogers, general manager for Rogers Grain.

The GTE also featured an in-person and virtual trade show featuring several exhibitors representing the soy, specialty grains and allied industries.

The 2021 Global Trade Exchange & Specialty Grains Conference featured several key sponsors, including platinum sponsors the Illinois Soybean Association, Iowa Soybean Association, Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, North Dakota Soybean Council, Ohio Soybean Council and Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board. The Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council and South Dakota Soybean Research & Promotion Council were Gold sponsors. Scoular was a Bronze Sponsor, while Hang Tung Resources was the key card sponsor and SGS sponsored the conference wi-fi.

“The North Dakota Soybean Council sponsors the Global Trade Exchange to facilitate global trade relationships for North Dakota soybeans,” said JP Lueck, a soybean farmer from Spiritwood, N.D. “Events like the GTE allow North Dakota soybean farmers like me to better understand our customers’ needs and produce the quality soy they have come to know and expect from North Dakota.”

Check out photos from the GTE on the SSGA Facebook page.

Click here to learn more about the GTE.

Register now for the 2021 GTE

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The 2021 U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange & Specialty Grains Conference will take place Aug. 24-26 in St. Louis and online. The hybrid event marks the return of major in-person events in the soy and specialty grains industries while also allowing those unable to travel to fully experience the show.

Registration is now open for the GTE. Click here to sign up.

The GTE, co-hosted by SSGA and the U.S. Soybean Export Council, has long provided opportunities for international buyers and U.S. exporters to build relationships and do business together. This year will be no different. However, attendees will be able to network both in person and virtually in an event that combines a traditional, in-person show with a modern, online platform for a unique hybrid experience.

“The GTE is our global family meeting, highlighting the value and benefits of U.S. Soy and specialty grains,” SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg said. “SSGA is extremely proud to be a co-sponsor again this year, and, along with our friends at USSEC, invite you to meet us in St. Louis for the in-person event or join us online.”

Once you register, be sure to keep your eyes open for more announcements, including presenters, exhibitors, sponsors and other details.

For information on exhibiting in the GTE trade show, please click here.

For information on GTE sponsorships, please click here.

‘IP B2B’ connects SSGA member exporters to Thailand

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By Shane Frederick, SSGA communications manager 

Twenty percent of soybeans imported to Thailand are used for food and soymilk and 65% of those beans come from the United States. In 2020, U.S. soybean imports rose 27% to $1.6 billion (4 metric tons). 

With a young population and a growing middle class with more disposable income, “there’s a huge opportunity for specialty soya and grains,” said Eric S. Mullis, agricultural attaché and acting counselor for USDA Foreign Agriculture Service in Bangkok. 

Mullis explained during the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance’s Identity Preserved (IP) virtual seminar and “IP B2B” for Thailand that the southeast Asian country is seeing increasing demand for healthier and more-functional foods, the ingredients of which can be found in IP field crops from the U.S. 

Mullis delivered opening remarks on June 14, the first day of the event, and gave a market update to start the June 15 webinar. 

Thailand is the 15th-largest market for U.S. agriculture, valued at around $1.9 billion. The United States is Thailand’s third-largest supplier of ag products behind China and Brazil. Overall, bilateral trade between the two countries totaled $6 billion in 2020. 

More than 40 people each night logged on to the Zoom meetings during the two-day event. The group included U.S. processors and exporters, Thai food manufacturers and importers, staff from SSGA and Spire Research and Consulting and a group of intrepid interpreters who drew great praise from attendees for the work they did in both the main presentation session and the individual business-to-business breakout rooms. 

Presentations, moderated by SSGA IP Technical Adviser Hoa Huynh on Day 1 and SSGA market development project manager Lee Steinhauer on Day 2, also included presentations from: 

  • Bob Sinner, SSGA Chair and President of SB&B Foods, on buying Identity Preserved field crops from the U.S. 
  • Sakchai Preechajarn, USSEC’s in-country representative for Thailand, on U.S. Soy sustainability initiatives 
  • Nick Sinner, program manager for Northern Crops Institute, on NCI educational courses 
  • Raquel Hansen, SSGA board director and Minnesota farmer, on Identity Preserved being the “value that adds value” 

For the IP B2B portion of the event, U.S. suppliers and Thai buyers were matched for short Zoom meetings based on company profiles.  

SSGA will hold another virtual seminar and IP B2B event for Malaysia on Aug. 9-10 (rescheduled from June 28-20) and is planning another for China to be held at a later date. 

SSGA Zooms around the world

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June already has been a busy month for the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance staff, board directors and members, who have been and will be Zooming around the world to promote U.S. Identity Preserved field crops and the IP system. 

On June 1, SSGA had three representatives presenting online at the Southeast Asia Soy Excellence & Protein Summit, which was put on by the U.S. Soybean Export Council. The trio spoke during a session called “U.S. Soy – Your Complete Solution Provider for Food Grade Soybeans.” 

SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg presented on transportation, including the benefits – and current challenges – of containerized shipping. Containers are vital for IP exporters, Wenberg said, explaining to potential buyers of U.S. Identity Preserved field crops how containers are sealed, protected and secure “for your use.” 

Transportation is not without its issues, as SSGA has documented well over the last year-plus. “Speak up, ask for service at the destination port you want, work with your seller, and plan ahead,” Wenberg said. 

Hoa Hunyh, SSGA IP technical adviser for Southeast Asia, discussed the U.S. IP system, touting the traceability, consistency and quality of IP soybeans and specialty grains from the United States, as well as the core values of IP for SSGA’s exporter members. 

“IP is the sweet spot,” Hunyh said. “It makes delicious products. … There’s a revolution in variety-specific soybeans.”  

Rob Prather, SSGA Vice-Chair and Chief Strategic Ambassador at Global Processing presented IP and variety-specific soybean supply and demand and production for FY 21/22, including some of the challenges U.S. exporters are facing in shipping. 

“The future is bright,” Prather said. “But act now, rather than reacting later.” 

Bridge2Food 

On Tuesday (June 8), SSGA board director Raquel Hansen gave the first of three SSGA talks at the Bridge2Food Plant-Based Foods & Proteins Exhibition for Europe. In a virtual presentation and discussion, Hansen showed photos from her Minnesota farm and discussed the U.S. IP system that she and her family practice in a presentation called “U.S. Identity Preserved – Added Attention. Added Advantage.” 

Sessions on Wednesday (June 9) will include SSGA presentations from Eugene Philhower, SSGA IP technical adviser for Europe (“U.S. Identity Preserved – More You Should Know”), and Bryan Stobaugh, SSGA Agronomy Action Team Chair and Director of Licensing and Genetics for Missouri Soybean (“U.S. Identity Preserved – From the Ground Up”). 

Northern Crops Institute 

Starting Sunday (June 13), Northern Crops Institute of Fargo, North Dakota, will be putting on a virtual Identity Preserved/Food Grade Soybean Procurement course for foreign buyers. SSGA will give two presentations as part of the course. Adam Buckentine, SSGA board director and Director of Food Soy and Organics at The Redwood Group will present “Introduction to Identity Preserved Soya – Investing in Higher Quality Delivers Higher Value.” And Bruce Abbe, SSGA adviser for trade and transportation, will present “Understanding Container Freight Transportation and Recent Challenges.”

Thailand ‘IP B2B’ virtual event set for June 14-15

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The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance will hold another event in its series of Identity Preserved virtual seminars and “IP B2B” meetings next week, as the focus turns to Thailand June 14-15 (June 15-16 in Thailand). 

The event, which will take place via Zoom, will be an excellent opportunity for American suppliers to showcase their Identity Preserved products and the U.S. IP system to Thai importers. Webinars will include presentations on the market for IP soya and specialty grains in Thailand, U.S. IP field crops and more. The IP B2B will give SSGA-member exporters and Thai buyers a chance to meet in prescheduled one-on-one meetings after being matched based on company profiles. 

Speakers include: FAS Bangkok Agricultural Attaché Eric S. Mullis, SSGA Chair Bob Sinner of SB&B Foods, SSGA board director Raquel Hansen,  Northern Crops Institute Program Manager Nick Sinner, a representative from the U.S. Soybean Export Council (TBA) and more. 

Click here for an up-to-date agenda and registration information (webinar only). 

SSGA will hold another webinar and IP B2B for Malaysia. Originally scheduled for June 28-29 that has been postponed to Aug. 10-11. Look for more information on that event and another for China (TBA) soon. 

SSGA connects member exporters to Vietnam with ‘IP B2B’

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By Shane Frederick, SSGA Communications Manager 

With a young population and a growing middle class, Vietnam is a burgeoning market for U.S. Identity Preserved (IP) soya and specialty grains, said Robert Hanson, agricultural minister counselor for USDA Foreign Agriculture Service in Hanoi. 

Hanson got the proceedings started for the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance’s third IP virtual seminar and “IP B2B” (business to business meetings). This week’s event connected U.S. Identity Preserved exporters with food manufacturers and importers in Vietnam (previous events were held for the Philippines and Indonesia). 

“U.S. food ingredients have a great reputation (in Vietnam),” Hanson said. “They’re considered safe and of high quality.” 

The young, middle-class population Hanson spoke of means there is a growing demand in the food and beverage sector, along with trends for healthier diets and increasing interest in traceability. 

“Soybeans for food use is growing 4-5% annually,” Hanson said, adding that Vietnam is expecting to purchase 500,000 metric tons of food-grade soybeans for products such as soymilk and packaged products.  

Vietnam is the seventh largest export market for U.S. food and agriculture, Hanson said, and bilateral trade between the two countries totaled about $8 billion in 2020, with $4 billion in trade flowing in each direction. 

In 2019, Hanson said, market access opened in Vietnam for U.S. sorghum. 

Nearly 70 people logged on to the Zoom meetings each day of the Vietnam event. That group included U.S. processors and exporters, Vietnamese food manufacturers and importers, and staff from SSGA and Spire Research and Consulting, along with a group of ace interpreters. 

The Day 1 agenda, moderated by SSGA IP Technical Adviser Hoa Huynh, also included presentations from: 

  • Rob Prather, SSGA vice-chair and chief strategic ambassador for Global Processing, who spoke about buying U.S. Identity Preserved field crops. 
  • Timothy Loh, Southeast Asia regional director for the U.S. Soybean Export Council, who talked about U.S. Soy sustainability initiatives. 
  • Nghia Tran Trong, Vietnamese representative for the U.S. Grains Council, who gave a U.S. specialty crops report. 

Speakers and presenters for Day 2, which was moderated by SSGA executive director Eric Wenberg included: 

  • Ben Petlock, senior agricultural attaché for FAS Ho Chi Minh City, on the Vietnamese market for U.S. agricultural products. 
  • Brian Sorenson, program director for the Northern Crops Institute, on NCI’s educational courses. 
  • Raquel Hansen, Minnesota IP farmer and SSGA board member on IP being “the value that adds value.” 

Petlock echoed some of Hanson’s comments as he detailed the Vietnamese ag market, saying there is “a lot of energy and a lot of growth” for U.S. agricultural products in Vietnam, whose 103 million population’s average age is 32 years old.

For the IP B2B portion of the event, U.S. suppliers and Vietnamese buyers were matched based on company profiles and put into Zoom breakout rooms, along with interpreters, for one-on-one video business meetings. U.S. participants each had as many to three B2B meetings each day.

“We want to source what the customer wants,” said Wayne Knewtson of Minnesota-based Knewtson Soy Products. 

SSGA has two more virtual seminars and IP B2B meetings scheduled – for Thailand (June 14-15) and Malaysia (June 28-29) – and is planning another for China to be held on a later date. 

From temperate to tropical, ‘IP B2B’ connects U.S. IP exporters to Indonesia

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By Shane Frederick, SSGA Communications Manager 

There is an excellent opportunity in Indonesia for exporters of U.S. Identity Preserved soya and specialty grains, said Chris Rittgers, agriculture counselor for the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service in Jakarta, as he helped kick off the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance’s second IP virtual seminar and “IP B2B” event of the year. 

SSGA and Spire staff and others expressed their gratitude to a group of fun, enthusiastic interpreters who helped U.S. exporters and Indonesian buyers overcome any language or communications barriers during SSGA’s IP B2B event on April 19-20.

“Our job here at the U.S. embassy – and, in fact, the fundamental job of all FAS officers overseas – is to link up U.S. suppliers with buyers in the local markets. And this is exactly the type of activity we like to see, where we get the opportunity for buyers and suppliers to communicate, exchange ideas and talk about mutual interests and needs.” 

As it did in the Philippines in February, the two-day Indonesia event, held April 19-20, included several one-on-one video meetings between U.S. suppliers and foreign buyers, including food manufacturers, who were matched up based on their company profiles. The virtual seminar featured several presentations related to U.S. field crops. 

Rittgers pointed out that the Indonesian market is relatively open for soybeans and most specialty grains. Indonesia, he said, is also the No. 1 market in the world for U.S.-grown millet, with exports totaling $23 million last year. Much of that is used as feed for Indonesia’s burgeoning songbird industry.  

The bilateral trade relationship between the United States and Indonesia is “very strong and very healthy,” Rittgers said, adding that ag and ag-related trade between the two countries totaled $8 billion in 2020. That includes $3 billion in products from the temperate climate of the U.S. (soybeans, wheat, cotton, dairy, meet, animal protein, feed ingredients, for example) and $8 billion from Indonesia’s tropical climate (home oil, rubber, cocoa, spices, coffee). 

“It’s a mutually beneficial relationship,” Rittgers said, “with each of us capitalizing on our comparative advantages.” 

Garrett McDonald, agricultural attaché for FAS Jakarta, backed that up in his presentation the next day, stressing that Indonesia is the United States’ 10th-largest ag export market but also that Indonesia – the fourth-largest country in the world by population – imports more ag products from the U.S. than from any other country. 

“The U.S. supply of raw materials feeds into Indonesia’s growing retail food and beverage sector,” McDonald said, adding that there is increasing interest in healthier foods and a high demand for lifestyle products with nutritional benefits. 

Thirty percent of Indonesian ag imports from the U.S. are soybeans, and most of those are made into food for human consumption, such as tempeh and tofu, meaning the Southeast Asian nation, which is made up of more than 17,000 islands, is a vital market for U.S. Identity Preserved field crops. 

“We are thrilled to play a part,” McDonald said. 

Including representatives from U.S. processors and Indonesian companies, staff from SSGA and Spire Research and Consulting and an intrepid group of interpreters, the event brought together on Zoom around 70 people on the first day and 60 the next.  

“Despite the 12-hour time difference for many of our participants, we were able to have lively discussions and successfully introduce our producers and processors to buyers from an important, growing market for U.S. Identity Preserved products,” said Eric Wenberg, SSGA executive director. “Using interpreters, when needed, the companies met face to face in virtual breakout rooms to begin doing business. We also had fun comparting temperatures and cultures on the call!” 

Other presenters included Rob Prather, SSGA vice-chair and chief strategic ambassador for Global Processing, who spoke about buying IP field crops; Will McNair, USSEC director for human nutrition and oil on U.S. Soy sustainability initiatives; Manuel Sanchez, U.S. Grains Council regional director for Southeast Asia and Oceania on 2020 and 2021 corn quality; Brian Sorenson, program director Northern Crops Institute on NCI’s educational courses, including a food grade and IP practices class that SSGA is participating in June 13-15; and Raquel Hansen, Minnesota IP farmer and SSGA board member on IP being the “value that adds value.” 

“We look forward to one day traveling with our members to Indonesia for in-person meetings, but we’ve learned how to make virtual work better in the meantime,” Wenberg said. “Educating buyers and sellers in advance and setting meetings in advance worked well. The companies loved it and reported to me it was valuable to their business.” 

SSGA has scheduled similar virtual seminars and IP B2B meetings for Vietnam (May 24-25), Thailand (June 14-15) and Malaysia (June 28-29) and is planning another for China to be held on a later date.

CoBank featured at first ‘B2B Brunch’

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An hourlong conversation as robust as the mid-morning cups of coffee that went along with it took place online Friday, as the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) premiered its “B2B Brunch.” 

Michael Minnihan and Holly Womack of SSGA-member CoBank were the presenters for the first in what is planned to be a regular series organized to bring together SSGA members to network and learn from one another. Approximately 20 people attended Friday’s event. 

CoBank is the largest lender in the Farm Credit System, a broad-based cooperative financial services organization serving rural American agribusiness, communications, energy and water and community facilities. The cooperative is owned by approximately 2,400 customers and headquartered near Denver with regional offices and banking centers located througout the country. 

Minnihan, a relationship manager for CoBank’s Regional Agribusiness Banking Group in Minneapolis, manages a portfolio of agribusiness customers in the Upper Midwest, primarily Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Michigan, presented a CoBank overview and market update. 

Minnihan said the outlook is “optimistic, at least short term, based on the opportunities that are present right now.” 

“USDA has already told us there’s going to be record acreage for both corn and soybeans and wheat, across the board,” he said. “Producers, I think, are sitting in a pretty good spot. … I think markets have settled down quite a bit, but there’s still a lot of support.” 

Womack, the lead relationship manager for the Agricultural Export Finance Division in Denver, presented on the work CoBank does as the leading provider of trade finance in support of U.S. agricultural products, including structured trade finance and taking an active role in electronic documentation capabilities such as letters of credit and collection. 

“All we do is U.S. ag,” Womack said. “Unlike commercial bank competitors, CoBank only does agriculture. … And that runs the spectrum from the bulk commodities all the way down to the processed goods.” 

In discussing the partnership between CoBank and SSGA, the presenters highlighted CoBank as a knowledgeable and dependable debt financing partner, its potential as a collaborator in agricultural export finance, and its ability to be conduit for networking in events such as the “B2B Brunch” and other meetings. They also featured CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, a centralized site that includes reports and webinars by economists.

SSGA ‘IP B2B’ Philippines event kicks off

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The Philippines moved up the charts in 2020, rising to No. 8 in U.S. export value, Morgan Haas, agricultural counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, told attendees of the Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance’s (SSGA) U.S. Identity-Preserved Soya and Specialty Grains Virtual Seminar, which began Monday evening (Tuesday morning, Philippines time).

Haas said during his opening remarks that U.S. ag exports to the Philippines set a record, totaling $3.2 billion in 2020.

“It’s an important market and a growing market, and it’s growing more and more,” Haas told the group of U.S. IP soya and specialty grains exporters and Philippines food manufactures. Representatives of those companies will be meeting individually later today (Tuesday, Wednesday in the Philippines) in a new SSGA business-to-business event called “IP B2B,” as part of the seminar.

According to Haas, the only country that gained more in U.S. ag export value than the Philippines in 2020 was China.

Following Haas was SSGA Chair Bob Sinner, president of SB&B Foods, who spoke about the IP process U.S. producers, processors and shippers go through. Sinner called U.S. IP “the gold standard of supply.”

“These are specific varieties for specific food use,” Sinner explained, “with full transparency and traceability as they follow the entire value chain.”

Timothy Loh, U.S. Soybean Export Council regional director for Southeast Asia, presented on sustainability initiatives, including the U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol, which assures buyers that guidelines have been followed for responsible farming.

Manuel Sanchez, U.S. Grains Council regional director for Southeast Asia, gave a U.S. corn harvest quality report, stressing that the Philippines are a top-five country for U.S. corn exports.

The final speaker was Adam Sackett, director of sales operations and business development for Insta-Pro International, who gave a presentation on extrusion technologies.

The program was moderated by Hoa Huynh, SSGA technical adviser for Southeast Asia, and SSGA Executive Director Eric Wenberg delivered the closing comments.

Day 2, which takes place 7-9 p.m. CST Tuesday (09:00-11:00 PHT Wednesday) will feature the IP B2B meetings, following a report on the Philippines market from Ryan Bedford, agricultural attaché from USDA Foreign Agricultural Service-Manila.

There also will be presentations for attendees not participating in the IP B2B, including Chrissy Harris of Rabbit/broadhead on SSGA’s U.S. IP branding project, Ingrid Rix of Spire Research and Consulting on research conducted for SSGA on the Philippines market for IP field crops and Brian Sorenson of Northern Crops Institute on NCI’s upcoming educational courses.