The Indiana Soybean Alliance welcomed international visitors this week in an effort to build additional demand for Indiana soybeans.
“They are coming from Colombia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, and Vietnam,” says Will McNair, director of oil and soyfood programs for the U.S. Soybean Export Council, who partnered with the Indiana Soybean Alliance to make the trip happen. “These stakeholders represent buyers of soybean oil from these countries. Oftentimes, they are high level people, so it could be a vice president, it could be owners, it or could be key R&D or purchasing personnel.”
McNair says he’s grateful to the Indiana Soybean Alliance for facilitating the tours, and he says Indiana is the perfect spot for these buyers to visit.
“Indiana is really a key, crucial state for soybean production, exports, and innovation. Being able to visit places like Purdue University, being able to go to a Bunge and Corteva really helps to send the message to the international buyers of innovation, production, and supply reliability.”
Multiple tour groups made the trek around Indiana to visit those facilities as well as Indiana farms. The Indiana Corn and Soybean Innovation Center at Purdue was a popular stop.
What is McNair’s hope for those that traveled to Indiana for the tour?
“Our hope is that they will be able to take out of this that the US is a consistent, reliable supplier that is innovating to help meet their demand needs for the future.”
McNair adds that with tight soybean supplies and unprecedented levels of inflation, it’s important to bring these buyers to the U.S. to make those connections so trade flows as quickly as possible to where it needs to go to feed a growing world. This is the first trip they’ve sponsored since COVID.
