The global economic activity is shifting from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 

 These dynamically growing East Asian countries of the Pacific rim, which have 

 high population densities and import over 40 to 80 percent of their food con- 

 sumption, now account for nearly one third of total sales abroad of U.S. farm 

 products. The economic miracle that started in Japan is spreading from one 

 country to another. Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore have become 

 "mini Japans". Indonesia and Malaysia with their vigorous growth and rising 

 affluence are not far behind. Agricultural exports to this region are expected 

 to continue experiencing a healthy rate of growth. (1,2) 



There is a 100 billion dollar market out there for high value and value 

 added products. In 1983 U.S. exports of these products were approximately 13X 

 of the world total. If our share of the world market can be boosted to 20% by 



the end of the decade, it will mean a million more jobs for the U.S. economy, up 

 to 25 billion dollars more gross national product and 8 billion dollars foreign 

 exchange earnings each year. Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

 wants a large share of this economic pie, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service 

 (FAS) initiated the Value Added Promotion Program (VAPP) this year. VAPP is an 

 export incentive matching funds program. Each participant will receive a dollar 

 from FAS for every dollar allocated and spent towards the promotion of their 

 product(s) overseas. 



The Foreign Trade Specialist met with small groups of agribusiness company 

 officials interested in VAPP, to assist each official in developing a marketing 

 promotion plan (for their current regions of export and/or new global areas) 

 geared to their product, which would yield optimum results, while still 

 satisfying the export incentive program guidelines. VAPP is being administered 

 through the regional export council - Eastern U.S. Agricultural & Food Export 

 Council, Inc. (EUSAFEC). 



EUSAFEC is an organization of 10 Northeast State Departments of 



Agriculture. EUSAFEC program committee meetings are regularly attended 



throughout the year. At these meetings, members formulate policies to be adopted 



and initiatives to be taken to increase the exports of food and other agri- 

 cultural products. 



An increasing number of Massachusetts firms are incorporating export trade 



shows into their marketing plan. They feel that an international trade show is 

 a place to see and be seen, to make contacts, to check out competition and to 

 use the show as a vehicle to tell their marketing story to several hundred 

 foreign buyers, who, in turn, can examine, taste, discuss and buy the products 

 the exhibitors have to offer. This year EUSAFEC sponsored the second U.S. 

 International Food Show, which took place in the New York Coliseum (N.Y.C.) 

 April 15-18, 1984. Several Massachusetts firms participated in this expo- 

 sition. The general concensus among the exhibitors is that the show was an 

 outstanding success. Here is what one Massachusetts exhibitor had to say: 



"This is our first international show. We hadn't realized 

 what its size would be, or the number of potental buyers 



we would meet here. We actually wrote orders in the first 



hour of the show! 



--- Robert M. Ogan, Bake-N-Joy Foods" 



The Foreign Trade Section is currently concentrating on disemminating 

 information on the second NASDA National Food X Agriculture Exposition to take 



place in the Kansas City Convention Center (Kansas City, Missouri) April 22-24, 1985. 

 1985. This event is sponsored by the National Association of State Departments 

 of Agriculture (NASDA) and the Foreign Agricultural Service of the USDA. 



38 



