The American Soybean Association (ASA) expresses appreciation to House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) who introduced legislation yesterday to expand U.S. agriculture exports to Cuba. ASA has been a supporter of eliminating the Cuban sanctions. In 2008, there were more than $134 million worth of soy products exported to Cuba. If current policies that require third country banks, cash advance payments and limits on travel were lifted, these exports would be expected to increase. "ASA opposes restrictions on exports of U.S. agricultural commodities for national security or foreign policy reasons that are not supported by all other major world producers and exporters," said ASA President Rob Joslin, a soybean producer from Sidney, Ohio. "ASA favors a normal trading relationship with Cuba including direct banking and elimination of the cash in advance rule. ASA also supports the country’s eligibility for the Foreign Market Development and Market Access Programs." H.R.4645, the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act, would eliminate both the need to go through banks in other countries to conduct agricultural trades and the accompanying fees those banks charge. The bill would also require agricultural exports to Cuba to meet the same payment requirements as exports to other countries, which means payment would be required when the title of the shipment changes hands, not in advance. Finally, the bill would allow U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba, reducing the bureaucratic red tape currently required for individuals to travel to Cuba to facilitate new agriculture sales. "Agricultural producers in the United States are well positioned to benefit from additional trade in Cuba," Joslin said. "U.S. suppliers can reach the three major Cuban ports in a matter of one day or less, compared to 25 days from Brazil."

The American Soybean Association (ASA) expresses appreciation to House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) who introduced legislation yesterday to expand U.S. agriculture exports to Cuba. ASA has been a supporter of eliminating the Cuban sanctions. In 2008, there were more than $134 million worth of soy products exported to Cuba. If current policies that require third country banks, cash advance payments and limits on travel were lifted, these exports would be expected to increase. “ASA opposes restrictions on exports of U.S. agricultural commodities for national security or foreign policy reasons that are not supported by all other major world producers and exporters,” said ASA President Rob Joslin, a soybean producer from Sidney, Ohio. “ASA favors a normal trading relationship with Cuba including direct banking and elimination of the cash in advance rule. ASA also supports the country’s eligibility for the Foreign Market Development and Market Access Programs.” H.R.4645, the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act, would eliminate both the need to go through banks in other countries to conduct agricultural trades and the accompanying fees those banks charge. The bill would also require agricultural exports to Cuba to meet the same payment requirements as exports to other countries, which means payment would be required when the title of the shipment changes hands, not in advance. Finally, the bill would allow U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba, reducing the bureaucratic red tape currently required for individuals to travel to Cuba to facilitate new agriculture sales. “Agricultural producers in the United States are well positioned to benefit from additional trade in Cuba,” Joslin said. “U.S. suppliers can reach the three major Cuban ports in a matter of one day or less, compared to 25 days from Brazil.”

Feb 18, 2010

The American Soybean Association (ASA) expresses appreciation to the United Soybean Board (USB) directors who voted to retain the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) as USB’s prime contractor for International Marketing. The vote took place on Wednesday, Feb. 17, at USB’s Board Meeting in Birmingham, Ala.

"The American Soybean Association fully supports the U.S. Soybean Export Council continuing as the international marketing contractor to the United Soybean Board and ASA," said ASA President Rob Joslin, a soybean producer from Sidney, Ohio. "ASA believes the involvement through USSEC of all key players within the U.S. soy industry – USB, ASA, exporters, and allied industry representatives – is an important tool for the leveraging of all resources to expand U.S. soy exports."

ASA and USB formed USSEC in October 2005, to implement the International Marketing program for U.S. soybeans and soy products. The USSEC board consists of representatives from ASA, USB and the U.S. soybean industry. USSEC activities to expand international markets for U.S. soybeans and products are made possible through ASA’s investment of cost-share funding provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), support from cooperating industry, and by producer checkoff dollars invested by USB and various State Soybean Councils.

"The critical connection between international marketing efforts and ASA’s successful trade policy activities is well known to soybean farmers," Joslin said. "U.S. soy exports would not be setting new records almost every year if it hadn’t been for the trade policy initiatives and market access responses undertaken by ASA coupled with checkoff and FAS-funded international marketing efforts."

ASA was recently notified by USDA that it garnered nearly $12 million in new FAS funding for soy export promotion activities in Fiscal Year 2010. This included over $5.1 million from the Market Access Program, and more than $6.8 million from the Foreign Market Development Program, which was the highest amount allocated to any FMD program participant.

USSEC has market development and technical services staff and offices operating as American Soybean Association International Marketing (ASA-IM) in Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, Republic of Korea, Republic of Singapore, People’s Republic of China, India, The Netherlands and Turkey.

More than half the value of the U.S. soybean crop was exported last year when exports hit a record level of 35 million metric tons with a value of almost $14 billion, plus soybean meal exports of nearly $3 billion, and soybean oil exports of nearly $900 million.

"ASA looks forward to working with USB as co-founder of USSEC, as well as exporters and allied industry representatives on USSEC, to even further expand U.S. soy exports in the years to come," Joslin said.