SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Staff) – American meat exporters are sitting in their most comfortable position since the Second World War.
Exports worldwide have been exponential with 1995 being a banner year at $3 billion in sales for pork and beef, making the United States a net exporter of beef for the first time in years.
More than half of that went to the Pacific Rim where the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese are developing a taste for U.S. beef.
U.S. Meat Export Federation head Phil Seng says the business has become entirely customer driven.
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In 1988 American packers provided the Japanese with 15 different cuts of beef. Today they offer more than 300 different cuts.
“That’s one of the key things that makes us acceptable, is that we’re market driven. We’re doing what our customers are telling us and that goes back to packers and producers in this industry,” said Seng during the foreign trade committee meeting at the National Cattlemen’s Association convention here.
With such satisfying results the goal is to sell $5.8 billion worth of beef, veal and variety meats worldwide by 2001, said Seng.
It’s calculated 65 percent of American beef exports are headed for Japan. The U.S. has edged out Australia as the main supplier of foreign beef to Japan, providing them with 52 percent of what they consume.
During the first three quarters of 1995, Japan bought 351,313 tonnes of frozen and fresh product worth $1.56 billion. Final year-end figures should hit $2.1 billion.
Japan turns to beef
An Iowa State study projects Japan will consume 1.7 billion tonnes of beef by the year 2000. Imports from the U.S. and Australia will likely satisfy a large share of that demand.
Increased interest is also attributed to the proliferation of western style family restaurants and the $312 billion a year Japanese restaurant and hotel trade.
Another unusual sales avenue that hasn’t been tried is the 7-11 Stores which are springing up throughout major Japanese cities. There are 5,495 outlets and 76 percent of what the chain sells is processed food that can be heated up in the store.
