Idaho Agriculture Industry Performed Well in Trade Mission | Idaho

BOISE — Idaho’s recent trade mission to Japan and Taiwan will pay dividends for Idaho’s agricultural industry, Gov. Brad Little and other state leaders said during a media video conference earlier this month.

“This has been a great journey for agriculture,” said Chanel Tewalt, director of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture, during the conference.

Twenty-two Idaho companies and organizations joined the governor and ISDA and Idaho Department of Commerce staff on the seven-day trade mission that ended in early November.

Idaho sold $69 million worth of agricultural products to Japan and $14 million worth of agricultural products to Taiwan in 2023.

About half of the trade mission participants work in Idaho’s agriculture industry, Little said, himself a farmer and rancher.

The governor said the mission to Taiwan and Japan strengthened trade opportunities for Idaho.

“I think it was very successful,” he said Nov. 14, adding that strengthening friendships with existing customers was one of the key benefits of a trade mission.

“It’s always nice to visit our friends there,” he said.

During the trip, Little and other Idaho participants met with representatives of the Taiwan Flour Mills Association, which signed a commitment two years ago in Boise to buy $576 million in U.S. wheat over the next two years Most of it from Idaho.

It was essentially a “declaration of intent” to buy the wheat, and Little said Taiwan had kept its commitment and even exceeded the announced purchase quantity.

Tewalt said it is very important to meet regularly in person with groups like TFMA.

“In these two countries, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to meet in person,” she said. “You have to go in person to maintain relationships with your friends.”

While in Idaho two years ago, Taiwanese delegation members said they buy wheat from Idaho because they can rely on its quality and consistency.

Tewalt said the Idaho delegation was very well received at the meeting.

“We had an exceptional reception,” she said. “Members of the Taiwan Flour Mills Association have been to farms in Idaho and know the quality and consistency of the wheat our farmers produce.”

Idaho wheat farmer Justin Place said the Idaho delegation had productive meetings in both countries.

He said it was important not only to build relationships with customers but also to maintain them, which is exactly what a trade mission enables.

“From a wheat perspective, I felt like we had very successful meetings,” said Place, president of the Idaho Grain Producers Association. “We have good relations with both Japan and Taiwan and have been selling wheat to these countries for some time.

While in Japan, Little continued policy discussions about market access for fresh U.S. potatoes in Japan, which could represent a $150 million opportunity for U.S. growers if it comes to fruition.

Japan is a major destination for processed potatoes from the United States, but does not allow imports of fresh U.S. potatoes.

“We worked really hard on it,” Tewalt said.

A member of the Idaho Potato Commission and potato farmers have been involved in those discussions, she said.

“It was a great cross-section of people committed to Idaho potatoes,” she said.

“The Idaho Potato Commission had a very productive trade mission to Taiwan and Japan…” IPC President and CEO Jamey Higham said in a news release from the governor’s office.

The governor and other members of the trade delegation also attended a beef luncheon in Idaho with local culinary and food media to promote high-quality beef in Japan, one of Idaho’s top beef export markets.

“Participating in the trade mission to Taiwan and Japan provided an excellent opportunity to network with our export partners and increase consumer confidence in the quality of Idaho beef and other agricultural products,” said Steven Taylor, chairman of the Idaho Beef Council, in the press release. “This mission has demonstrated the commitment of our beef producers and ensured Idaho’s reputation for high-quality products continues to grow worldwide.”

Representatives from Idaho’s dairy, oilseed and fruit and vegetable industries also attended the trade mission.

“Participating in the trade mission allowed us to tell the story of Idaho dairy farmers – our commitment to quality, sustainability and family farming,” said Pete Wiersma, president of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association. “Building these relationships with international markets is critical, and that is what I am doing.” We are confident that the connections we have made will benefit our industry in the future.”