To help develop demand for Japan’s livestock products in Taiwan and other Asian countries, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and the Taiwan Feed Industry Association (TFIA) jointly hosted a conference in Taipei on Nov. 23 to assess potential strategies for promoting value-added, sustainable trade between the two countries.

Taiwan is currently facing pressures on its livestock industry as it has a rather high per capita consumption of meat and eggs; an increasing emphasis on improving the environment from the public; and pressures from animal protection and animal welfare groups. As such, its local livestock industry will likely only experience limited growth in the coming years, and the Taiwanese people will need to leverage trade to achieve food security.

As exports of value-added products like meat, milk and eggs help drive demand for U.S. coarse grains and co-products around the world, USGC’s offices in both countries are looking for ways to create opportunity in Japan based on growing demand for value-added products in Taiwan and other Asian countries.

“As an island nation, Taiwan is heavily dependent on foreign trade,” said USGC Director in Taiwan Clover Chang. “And as visitors from mainland China continue to travel to Taiwan, we continue to increase our demand for meat, milk and eggs.”

“This conference provided an opportunity for the Council to enhance its presence as a leader in both the industries,” said USGC Director in Japan Tommy Hamamoto. “We hope to find more opportunities like this in the future that allow us to work together to build both Taiwan’s and Japan’s economies while promoting U.S. grains.”

The conference was attended by about 80 government officials, professors, researchers, traders and industry leaders as well as seven speakers who covered topics like the role of the Japanese livestock industry in supply food to the growing Asian market and comments from Taiwanese experts on the economy and agricultural industry.

Through programs like this one, the Council is working toward both sales of feed grains and increased confidence among overseas buyers in the merits of food security through trade.