Grain sales to Japan

Press, 3 September 1984, Page 14

Grain sales to Japan

NZPA-APBismarck, North Dakota

Sales of United States agricultural products to Japan are six times higher than 13 years ago, but the United States faces stiff competition from Canada and Australia, the Japanese Ambassador to Washington says. The United States reached the $1 billion sales mark for agricultural products to Japan in 1971, and last year Japan bought ?6.5 billion worth of American

grain, Ambassador Yoshio Okawara said at news conference in Bismarck. North Dakota will be concentrating its efforts on developing . direct markets with the Japanese instead of working through the United States trade representative, said Governor Allen Olson and the State Agriculture Commissioner, Mr Kent Jones. North Dakota and Japan already have a strong trading relationship, but Mr Olson said he would continue

to press Mr Okawara to increase purchases of the state’s agricultural products. The trend of increased agricultural exports to Japan will continue because Japanese producers realise they cannot provide enough to satisfy his country’s large appetite, Mr Okawara said. The United States needs to increase its marketing efforts if it wants to expand' its agricultural sales to Japan, the Ambassador said.