Japan is the largest U.S. corn export market, consistently importing approximately 16 million metric tons (630 million bushels) of U.S. corn each year. With the recent attention to U.S. corn quality and the use of biotechnology, it is more important than ever that U.S. producers stay connected to their international customers. This week, U.S. Grains Council representatives Steve Vanzant, Ohio Corn Marketing Program; Chester Esther, Illinois Corn Growers Association; and Fred Oelschlaeger, Cargill, traveled to Tokyo for the Corn Outlook Conference. Site visits and the conference, organized by the Council in cooperation with Japanese corn importers, end-users and industry, allowed the USGC team to discuss U.S. and world corn supply, production and demand with attendees. It also allowed the team to discuss existing and potential benefits of biotechnology and acceptance issues. “One Japanese expert asked me about the high moisture and dust content of recent U.S. corn imports. I told him honestly, we have had two consecutive years of unusual weather patterns and it resulted in only 60 percent of corn harvested by mid November. The late harvest forced farmers to mechanically dry it, generating broken kernels,” said Vanzant, who is also a member of the USGC Asia Advisory Team. “It is important to keep an open and honest rapport with our customers. Developing one-on-one relationships helps to establish trade deals. When they feel that we are there to fulfill their needs, and they trust us, more business deals are probable.”

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