U.S. peanut gaining competitive edge in Japan

The American Peanut Council led an official trade delegation to Japan the second week of November to meet with top U.S. agriculture and trade officials, importers, manufacturers, and other key stakeholders. The 2020 removal of a 10% duty on U.S. peanut imports under the Japan-U.S. Trade Agreement is allowing American peanut producers a more competitive edge in the Japanese market. Japan is the fifth largest market for U.S. peanut exports and is consistently growing. In 2022, the peanut industry exported a record-high 20,171 metric tons of peanuts and peanut products to Japan, with a value of $35.6 million. During the trade mission, U.S. peanut delegates met with representatives from the Agriculture Department’s Office of Agricultural Affairs and Agricultural Trade Office in Tokyo, as well as leaders of the Japan Peanut Import Association and Japan Peanut Association. The group also visited a peanut farm in Chiba Prefecture, as well as leading Japanese retailers. “Last week’s ...