The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) utilized Market Access Program (MAP) funding to defend U.S. market share in Japan, the second largest U.S. corn export market with sales of 15.2 million metric tons (598 million bushels) valued at more than $2.8 billion per year.
With growing competition from South America and Eastern Europe over the last decade, the Council has aggressively defended the Japanese market by providing our customers with frequent updates on the U.S. corn crop from planting to harvest and through to export. The focus of this work has been to highlight the stability and reliability of the United States as a corn supplier as well as the transparency of the U.S. corn market.
The Council participates in every major feed grain conference in Japan, hosts trade teams of Japanese buyers to the United States annually and presents the organization’s corn quality and harvest quality reports to the Japanese feed industry annually.
The efforts resulted in stable use of U.S. corn by Japanese corn customers regardless of price competitiveness with other feed grains and corn from other sources. With the favorable price of U.S. corn in 2018, there was a growth of about $650 million in sales compared with 2017.
The Council invested $210,000 in MAP funds in 2018 for these promotion programs, generating a return on investment (ROI) of $3,095 per $1 invested.
About The U.S. Grains Council
The U.S. Grains Council develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol. With full-time presence in 28 locations, the Council operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability. Detailed information about the Council and its programs is online at www.grains.org.