Missouri’s Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, R, and Agriculture Director Chris Chinn have signed letters of intent** with Taiwan for that country’s purchase of Missouri soybeans, corn and feed grain products. Representatives from Missouri commodity groups and the Missouri Farm Bureau were at the ceremony, along with other key elected state officials.

Missouri Agriculture Director Chris Chinn and Walter Wen-Tsung Lin, Director, Taiwan Vegetable Manufacturer’s Association

Shane Kinney, Missouri Corn Growers public policy director, tells Brownfield Ag News it’s a positive thing for growers, especially in this current trade atmosphere.

“If you think about today’s trade environment – a little bit of uncertainty happening in trade policy – anything we can do to support a country, let a country know that we’re committed to that trade, that we have the quality product that they can rely on, that’s very important to us right now,” says Kinney.

The Taiwanese delegation has toured Missouri row crop farms and an ethanol plant this week. Their officials appreciate the relationship with Missouri growers because Taiwan can grow neither crop.

The delegation visited three Midwest states – Iowa, Indiana and Missouri – making official that country’s intent to purchase corn, soybeans and feed grain products in the 2018-’19 marketing year.

Jerry Chang, director of Taiwan’s economic and cultural office in Denver, tells attendees of the ceremony in Missouri, that the relationship between Taiwan and U.S. agriculture is extremely valuable.

“Over the past 20 years, my government has organized 11 agriculture goodwill missions to the United States. I’m very proud to say that during these visits, our related grain associations made very decent purchase commitments,” says Chang.

The leaders of the Taiwanese delegation praise the quality of Missouri corn and soybeans – and Chang told Brownfield Ag News the same is true of Iowa and Indiana.

**Be It Therefore Resolved, that the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the Republic of China (Taiwan) Feed Industries Association (TFIA), herein referred to as “The Parties” agree that:

The Association intends to purchase 5.0 million MT (equivalent to 197 million bushels) of corn and 0.5 million MT of corn coproducts (distillers dried grains with solubles) between 2018 and 2019. The value of these purchases is estimated to be about US$1.05 billion, including a significant amount produced in the state of Missouri.

***Be It Therefore Resolved, that the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the Taiwan Vegetable Oil Manufacturers Association (TVOA), herein referred to as “The Parties” agree that:

The TVOA intends to purchase 2.6 million to 2.9 million MT (equivalent to between 96 million and 107 million bushels) of soybeans between 2018 and 2019. The value of these purchases is estimated to be about US$1.1 billion to US$1.2 billion, including a significant amount produced in the state of Missouri.

By Julie Harker of Brownfield Ag News