Iowa Agriculture Secretary Returns with Optimism After โขSoutheast Asia Trade mission
DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowaโ Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig returned to Iowa Monday following aโฃ nine-day trade mission to Vietnam and โคIndonesia, reporting critically important potential forโฃ increased agricultural exportsโ from the state. Theโ trip focused on bolstering โฃrelationships and identifying opportunities in two ofโ Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economies.
Naigโฃ highlighted theโข region’s โeconomic dynamism, stating, “Between the Philippines, Vietnam โฃandโค Indonesia, you’ve got some of the โคfastest growing economies โขin the world, andโข lots of opportunityโ for even a lot moreโ business there.” A delegation of a dozen representatives from iowa commodityโ groups accompanied Naig on the mission.
Vietnam emerged as a key market for pork, with Naig noting theโ country’s strong demand. “Vietnam is very โpork friendly. They want a lot of pork in theirโข diet,” he said.โ While acknowledging a smaller potentialโค market for pork in Indonesia – theโ world’s fourth-largest country byโ population andโข largest Muslim nation -โ Naig emphasized beefโ asโฃ the primary opportunity there.”Really beef is โคthe significant opportunity in Indonesia.”
The trip builds on existing momentum with Vietnam, a topโข 10 importer of U.S. agricultural goods. Naig โpreviously led a trade mission toโ Vietnamโ in 2023, and โฃin June, the Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture signed $1.4 billion in purchase agreements with the U.S., $800 million of โคwhich were designated for Iowa products. Thisโฃ recent mission served as a follow-up to those agreements.
Naig described the Indonesian market as presenting uniqueโ challenges. While a good market โฃfor soybeansโข and dried distillers grains, he noted existing trade barriers and strong competition from countries like Brazil, China, and Australia, which currently dominate Indonesia’s agricultural imports. the U.S. currently accounts for approximately 10% of Indonesia’s agricultural โขimports, โขaccording to the USDA.
“Indonesia โwas new and we learned a lot,” Naig said. “You’ve got to โขbe on the ground โขsometimes to figure those things out.”