CHICAGO — The American Egg Board is joining with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service on an Indonesian trade mission that began on Feb. 2 and runs through Feb. 5, along with a delegation of trade organizations, agribusinesses, and representatives from some state departments of agriculture.
AEB notes that this international mission is the first in a series that the organization is seeking to utilize to increase the export of U.S. eggs and egg products, and to increase and diversify long-term sales for the industry.
“Exports represent a critical and largely untapped strategic opportunity for U.S. egg producers to create new demand, improve returns and increase stability,” Emily Metz, AEB president and CEO, said in an announcement. “There has never been a more important — or more promising — time to find homes for U.S. eggs beyond our borders.”
“U.S. egg producers are facing the lowest domestic wholesale prices we have seen in decades,” Metz added. “This won’t be solved overnight, but with the right market access and trade policies in place, taking our incredible, high-quality U.S. eggs and egg products global will be AEB’s focus this year.”
Total annual egg production exports equal only about 3 to 4 percent, compared to other commodities like chicken, pork and dairy, where exports can reach about 15 to 30 percent of production, the board added.
Sean Delano, AEB’s trade mission delegate, who also heads Mid-States Specialty Eggs business development, notes that U.S. egg producers are looking toward the growth potential of international markets like Indonesia.
“We see immense value in these trade mission for the understanding and access they provide,” Delano said. “When you couple the international appetite we see for the quality attributes of U.S. eggs — safety, production standards, etc. — with unmet demand for niche products like organic or halal, markets like Indonesia look really promising and provide a potential hedge against the ebbs and flows of the U.S. domestic market.”
Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous nation (at approximately 287 million), and U.S. eggs are traded well with other Southeast Asian nations, AEB adds that U.S. eggs are low for Indonesia compared to other commodity categories.
This trade mission is being led by Luke J. Lindberg, USDA’s under secretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs.
“While Indonesia was our 11th largest market in 2024, the opportunities here in the world’s fourth most populous nation cannot be overstated,” Lindberg said after arriving in Jakarta. “We are here to showcase the strength and diversity of U.S. food and agricultural products — and to demonstrate how recent commitments from Indonesian officials will translate into new sales that drive dollars back into the pockets of America’s farmers, ranchers and communities. When producers can reach more customers abroad, they can spread costs, operate more efficiently, strengthening their bottom line and making goods more affordable at home.”
USDA also noted that Indonesia has a gross domestic product of $4.1 trillion with a strong demand for agricultural and food products, with a rising younger population that has an interest in innovative products. Also, the recent U.S.-Indonesia Agreement on Reciprocal Trade gets rid of U.S. agricultural export tariffs with a lowering of non-tariff barriers. The agency adds that this will impact more than $1.6 billion in agricultural exports from the U.S.
Indonesia is one of the 10 nations that represent the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations). The other countries include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
“To date, U.S. egg products have had limited presence in this market, creating a clear opportunity for engagement,” Thomas Tan, the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) ASEAN region consultant, said. “With proven food safety standards, reliable supply, and halal-compliant processing, the U.S. egg industry can play a larger role in meeting Indonesia’s growing demand. This trade mission is a critical step toward establishing long-term commercial partnerships and positioning U.S. eggs more strongly in Indonesia.”
Also, for this year, AEB notes that it will be partnering with USAPEEC on international opportunities in key markets like Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam to introduce more U.S. egg producers into these nations.
