Page 51 - Export or Bust eBook

But building markets also requires experts who understand the market potential. Lyons says that
Vietnam is different than many other export markets in that they prefer the sweeter Gala apple, as
opposed to most other export markets which prefer the hearty Red Delicious. And the Vietnamese are
also willing to pay the higher price for quality Galas.

“Production of Gala is increasing in the state of Washington. So, it dovetails very nicely with the
direction of our industry with production – in terms of the price they’re willing to pay,” Lyons
explained.

The WAC runs 25 international programs building international demand for apples and the
commission’s largest export market is Mexico, consuming just under 10 percent of their apple crop.
Canada used to be the number two market - until India emerged.

“Sometimes world events will go in our favor,” Lyons said. India banned the import of many
products from China this year, including their apples, on June 1, 2017 and demand for
Washington apples exploded. However, China is now looking at other markets, “so that affects us
in Southeast Asia as well.”

“It truly is a global market and apple production is increasing on a global scale. So not just China, which
is the world’s largest producer of apples, but also places like the EU are increasing their production after
being down this year,” Lyons said. “We are facing competition in all of our markets. And it is so critical
to be able to support what we’ve gained, what we’ve been able to develop in these markets.

Sustainable soy relationships

In countries like Indonesia, US soybeans are clearly a preferred choice for buyers, explains USSEC
CEO Jim Sutter.

“No one delivers quality like US soybean growers,” he adds.

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