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Article: U.S. soybean exports to Thailand: a golden opportunity, but no guarantees.
- Article from:
- AgExporter
- Article date:
- September 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 U.S. Department of Agriculture. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Thailand ranked as the ninth-largest market for U.S. soybeans in 1996, and the seventh-largest for December of that year. "The future for soybean imports from the United States has never looked brighter," says Peter Kurz, the U.S. agricultural counselor in Bangkok.
Why now?
Until last November, exporting U.S. soybeans and soybean meal to Thailand was like trying to walk through a closed door. The Thai government, by long tradition, protected domestic soybean growers and crushers in order to stimulate production and hold down imports. Prices were supported by an agreement between crushers and producers to buy set quantities of soybeans. Farmers and government ...