Positive attitudes prevail in the Montana Agriculture and Tourism Asia Mission to Taiwan and Japan

Wheat and beef topped the list of trade discussions held during the Montana Agriculture and Tourism Asia Mission April 15-23. Montana Farm Bureau Vice President Bob Hanson joined the agricultural delegation, led by Gov. Judy Martz, which visited with the minister of foreign affairs in both Taiwan and Japan, along with meat importers, merchandisers and government officials.

Montana Farm Bureau
SueAnn Streufert

http://sidneyherald.com/articles/2004/05/03/news/agriculture/ag02.txt

In Tapei, Taiwan, the group met with Dr. Eugene Y.H. Chien, who had just been appointed to the position of minister of foreign affairs. Gov. Martz also spent time with the president of Taiwan. The Montana group was the first official delegation to meet with him in Taiwan.

The group visited with the Taiwan Flour Mills Association, which contains a culinary school, established in the late 1980s by six states in the United States including Montana, where Asian chefs have learned to bake with U.S. wheat over the past decade.

"This year, the culinary school is expecting 30 people from mainland China to learn how to use our wheat," said Hanson, noting that 97 percent of the imported wheat into Taiwan comes from the United States. "For every year the Taiwan flour mills train more chefs to use our wheat, that’s more wheat we can export. They want to import more of our hard white wheat for noodles."

Hanson said the trip was extremely positive. "It’s important to visit the Japanese and Taiwanese officials face-to-face and let them know you have products they want. That’s what works in their society. It’s too early to analyze the affect of our trip, but the message we received from exporters, merchandisers and government officials was very positive for agriculture."

While in Japan, the group met with the chairman of Nippon, the company which owns Pasta Montana in Great Falls. "They were overwhelmed and honored that Governor Martz came to visit them," Hanson said. "They said it was an historical day."

Resuming trade of U.S. beef with Taiwan and Japan was another important topic. During the governor’s meeting with Taiwanese President, he expressed confidence that his country will begin importing U.S. beef into Taiwan soon.

"Many people may not realize that Taiwan took the meat in the pipeline that Japan rejected after that country shut its borders to U.S. beef," Hanson, a White Sulphur Springs rancher, explained. "The country is one-tenth the size of Montana with a population of 23 million. They have so many people to feed; they want U.S. beef and there is a high demand for it, especially in the hotels."

"Many people may not realize that Taiwan took the meat in the pipeline that Japan rejected after that country shut its borders to U.S. beef," Hanson, a White Sulphur Springs rancher, explained. "The country is one-tenth the size of Montana with a population of 23 million. They have so many people to feed; they want U.S. beef and there is a high demand for it, especially in the hotels."

The delegation spent several days meeting with Japanese trade and government officials, meeting first with Emiko Purdy, director of the U.S. Agricultural Trade Office.

"Ms. Purdy explained to us that two of the five Japanese states make up one-fifth of the world’s economy," Hanson noted. "Because of the exchange rate right now, Western foods are a good buy. But apparently because of the closed borders to beef because of BSE, seafood from Alaska has become popular, with the retail value of Alaskan seafood this year reaching $200 million.

Japanese are very food-safety conscious and responsive to media coverage about BSE, in spite of facts demonstrating the safety of U.S. meat products. A recent survey shows that Japanese rank the U.S. third in food safety.

Hanson said the trip was extremely positive. "It’s important to visit the Japanese and Taiwanese officials face to face and let them know you have products they want. That’s what works in their society. It’s too early to analyze the affect of our trip, but the message we received from exporters, merchandisers and government officials was very positive for agriculture."