February 22, 2024

 

Indiana, US soybean alliance seeks buyers in Indonesia in latest trip

 
 

 

The soybean alliance of Indiana, the United States, recently led a 10-person delegation to Indonesia to meet with potential soybean buyers and tour various facilities in the country.

 

The organisation's goal is to reach a deal that would allow for the export of up to 2.5 million metric tonnes of soybeans by container to Indonesia each year; that would represent about a quarter of Indiana's annual soybean production, according to Ed Ebert, senior director of market development with the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA).

 

ISA said the Indonesia export would be valued at an estimated US$110 million.

 

During a virtual meeting with reporters, Ebert said the Indonesia market has been an area of focus for the organisation for some time.

 

"The importance of it can't be understated in terms of its overall contribution to the amount of soybeans that are exported out of the United States," Ebert said. "It is by far the largest consumer of US soy in the form of number one yellow soybeans, which they use to make food products here in Indonesia, principally tofu and tempeh."

 

In addition to members from ISA, the delegation included representatives from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, the Ports of Indiana, Greensburg Mayor Josh Marsh, and growers and business owners from throughout Indiana.

 

"We've gotten a lot of expertise here in terms of seed technology, in terms of soybean production, how they're grown sustainably, and certainly when we look at Indiana's focus on sustainable cropping with double crop and other things that we lead the nation in, it's certainly a great story to be able to tell our partners here in Indonesia about how we grow soybeans," said Ebert.

 

The effort to expand sales of specialty crops like soybeans is being assisted through the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) which is providing $1.3 billion to US producers to diversify their export markets.

 

Jim Douglas, a United Soybean Board director, said the soybean industry is very important to Indonesia, but production in the country itself is difficult.

 

"To get an adequate supply, they don't raise hardly any beans here, and so they're relying on imports," Douglas said. "And they are very serious about coming in with quality. You're fighting a climate that's not friendly for storage of anything with humidity and so forth, and so there's a lot of challenges."

 

Douglas noted that while there is some crop production in Indonesia, it is very limited and all done by hand. He said ISA's trip aimed to enhance some of the partnerships that are already in place by delivering more, high quality product to the country.

 

- Inside Indiana Business

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