In mid-August, I traveled to Southeast Asia and witnessed firsthand the great strides being made to help increase food security and trade. I also came to appreciate the immense potential for future trade opportunities in the area. I returned with a reaffirmed sense of urgency to continue building upon recent gains in trade with Thailand.
Thailand purchased a record $1.7 billion in food and agricultural products last year from the United States, making it our 13th largest export market. Overall, U.S. agricultural exports to Thailand have grown by more than 150 percent over the past decade. Throughout my visit, growing demand for both U.S. bulk commodities and consumer products was very clear.
When I met with the Thai Feed Mill Association, we discussed the livestock industry’s growing need for grain. Total feed demand in 2005 was at 10.6 million metric tons and increased to 12.9 million metric tons in 2010. In 2015, due to insufficient local supplies of feed grains and co-products, Thailand imported feed ingredients totaling 17.9 million metric tons, valued at $1.7 billion.