WESTERN PRODUCE— Soy Canada has completed a marketing mission to Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam, where it shared information about Canadian soybeans and promoted them to potential customers in those countries.
The mission was Soy Canada’s first since 2019. They were suspended in early 2020 due to concerns over COVID-19.
“There’s nothing like being face-to-face to share and understand how we deliver value for our customers,” said Brian Innes, executive director with Soy Canada.
“The enthusiasm we saw this year shows the value of our market development investment and how we can grow the value of our industry in the future.”
This year’s mission included a delegation of 26 Canadian representatives who met with more than 220 current and potential customers.
The purpose was to develop markets for Canadian soybeans and support stable market access, the organization said in a news release.
Exporter and producer members of Soy Canada learned more about the quality specifications that Asian customers are looking for when they buy soybeans.
Delegates also visited manufacturing facilities to see how Canadian soybeans are processed, and shared information about the latest developments in the Canadian soybean industry, such as research, sustainability initiatives, projections for the 2023 growing season and traceability.
Delegates included representatives of the Canadian Grain Commission, Agriculture Canada, Transport Canada and Soy Canada.
“Our mission helped us connect directly with key customers to better understand what provides them value, which is quite different from one country or end user to the next,” said Nicole Mackellar, market development manager with Soy Canada.
“The quality characteristics Japanese tofu makers are looking for are quite different than feed users in Vietnam. For some customers, they value hearing about how we’re developing new varieties to meet their needs, while for others our discussions focused on resolving trade concerns.”
In Japan, which is Canada’s highest premium market for identity preserved non-genetically modified soybeans, participants heard about that country’s preference to use Canadian soybeans due to their high quality and protein levels. Delegates also learned about Japan’s interest in sustainable sourcing and its need for consistent supply.
“Japan is an important market for Canadian non-GMO soybeans,” said Mackellar.
“We had the opportunity to share with the Japanese the work that we are doing with the Canadian Food-Grade Soybean Variety Finder, which helps identify new varieties that will meet the needs of end users.”
In Vietnam, where Canadian soybean exports have faced significant market access challenges over the past five years, participants heard about growing demand for soybeans used for food and feed.
Vietnam’s soybean crushing capacity is expected to double in the next two years, so addressing market access issues is a priority.
Soy Canada is a national organization that represents 30,000 producers, exporters and processors.
Its work is aimed at improving market access and market development, co-ordinating research and providing industry leadership on issues affecting the growth and profitability of the Canadian soybean industry.
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