NAFB News Service
The best opportunities for increasing agricultural trade in the years ahead will take place in Southeast Asia and Africa.
The Hagstrom Report said Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator Daniel Whitley made that observation during a recent speech before the American Association of Port Authorities.
“Southeast Asia is the fastest-growing market for America’s products,” Whitley said. “People are moving from low-income to middle-income consumers who eat more fruits and vegetables and patronize restaurants and high-end grocery stores.”
He also said Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore already have a “fixation” with the U.S. brand.
Whitley said Africa is “visibly shifting before our eyes,” going from being development recipients to commercial customers.
“We need to be in a business relationship and not a developmental relationship with African countries,” Whitley added. “While African countries have traditional ties with the EU, they also want to break some of those ties.”