FARGO, N.D.聽鈥撀燦orth Dakota soybean groups have been scouring the globe searching for new markets for beans or existing markets that could be expanded. With China purchasing only about half of the U.S. soybeans it normally buys, the North Dakota Soybean Council (NDSC) and the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association (NDSGA) decided to travel to other Southeast Asia markets to see if they could make inroads into selling countries a larger market share.
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North Dakota soybean groups build relationships for export markets
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Evan Montgomery visits a feed mill and can tell the difference with the color in U.S. soybeans.
Evan Montgomery, vice chair of the North Dakota Soybean Council, talks with a woman at a convenience store in Vietnam, who shows him all the soy milk they sell.聽The groups toured soy food processors, convenience and other stores, many soy food and beverage facilities and soybean crush facilities.
鈥淚 joked with my family when I got home that I鈥檝e had more soy milk in the last week than they鈥檒l ever have in their whole life, but it鈥檚 a huge deal over there,鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 realize how big soy foods are until you see it 鈥 tofu, soy yogurt, soy milk, lining the shelves at convenience stores. It鈥檚 not niche. It鈥檚 everyday nutrition.鈥
North Dakota soybean groups have been scouring the globe searching for new markets for beans or existing markets that could be expanded. In Vietnam and Thailand,聽the North Dakota Soybean Council (NDSC) and the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association (NDSGA) members had bottle of soy milk in beverage facilities.
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