Washington - Although US agricultural exports to Japan have taken a hit since the country has been plagued by a recession, there are still areas for growth, the US farm counselor based in Tokyo said.
John Child, minister-counselor for agricultural affairs, said the area where he sees a strong future for US farm exports to Japan is in the consumer category, which includes meat, snack foods, breakfast cereals, fruit, vegetables, wine, beer and more. While the other two main categories of Japanese agricultural imports, bulk and intermediate, have dropped over the last several months, imports of US consumer items have risen, Child said. US red meat exports to Japan are up 6.3%, Child said. He said US success in that commodity has been partly due to the variety of cuts of beef that the United States provides. Other countries are more stringent.
“We're like a supermarket. We can supply the Japanese with whatever cut they want,” Child said.
Japan is the top export destination for US farm goods. The country is expected to import $9.8 billion in US agricultural goods in fiscal year 1998, which ends September 30, down from $10.7 billion this year.
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