Project Strategies:
Strategy 1: Introduce and increase the use of U.S. soy protein by animal and aqua feed and food manufacturers in developing countries. The ASA/WISHH Program’s long-term demand building activities include:
(1) using technical expert to train current and prospective customers about the intrinsic and extrinsic value of U.S. soy,
(2) bringing importers and their larger clients to training programs in the U.S.,
(3) generating an opportunity for U.S. soy exporters to meet with current and prospective buyers,
(4) hosting feed and food technology, marketing or nutrition conferences both in the U.S. and abroad, to promote U.S. soy, and
(5) building business connections between buyers or sellers.

Strategy 2: Leverage non-QSSB resources in developing markets to create long-term trade and demand for U.S. soy. The ASA/WISHH Program works to continuously increase the percentage of non-QSSB funding in the ASA/WISHH budget. Various USDA and other non-QSSB funding make up approximately 85% of the ASA/WISHH total budget. QSSBs fund approximately 15% of the total ASA/WISHH Program budget. Outside project funding requires matching funds of varying percentages. Consequently, QSSB funds are crucial for maintaining and expanding non-checkoff project funding for ASA/WISHH. The ASA/WISHH Program is open to collaboration or communications with QSSBs on any of the outside-funded projects implemented by ASA/WISHH.

Fourteen of the 18 countries ASA/WISHH currently works in (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Sri Lanka, and Uganda) are now importing U.S. soy as a direct result of ASA/WISHH’s activities. On combined average, all the countries in which ASA/WISHH is actively building U.S. soy markets in 2020 are developing markets which have less food security than India and, therefore, their protein needs hold more upside export potential for U.S. soy.

Proof of ASA/WISHH’s recent successes include bringing new export markets on-line for U.S. soy are Pakistan, Bangladesh and, as of March 2019, Nigeria poultry. Value chain maturation and U.S. soy exports to certain sectors (animal feed, aqua feed or food) within those countries have grown to such a high level that they exceed Developing Market status and have graduated to Emerging or Expansion markets. As a result, the project management of market sectors were graduated over the last four years by ASA/WISHH to the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC).

In 2010, ASA/WISHH’s developing aquaculture market sector in Pakistan went from importing zero U.S. soy products, to over 9 million bushels in 2015. From there, Pakistan’s import tariffs changed to favor importing whole U.S. soybeans rather than soybean meal. In addition, the poultry industry and edible oil sectors WISHH was working on matured much faster than originally projected, so ASA/WISHH determined those sectors had grown to Emerging Markets status and graduated them over to USSEC in late 2017. At graduation, Pakistan was about a 12-million-bushel market for U.S. soy. One-year post graduation, Pakistan imported nearly 17.4 million bushels and in 2018 became U.S. soy’s 12th largest export destination.

Some of ASA/WISHH’s target markets are in Africa, a continent whose fertility rate is 170% higher than India’s and whose population is expected to double by 2050, to 2.1 billion.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLEkjaYRvJI