Southeast Asia: Full Speed Ahead for U.S. Dairy

An April 16-17 conference in Singapore gives U.S. suppliers opportunity to cultivate relationships in booming market.

In 2014, U.S. dairy exports to Southeast Asia topped $1.3 billion, more than seven times the value shipped merely a decade earlier.

The challenge moving forward will be continuing that trajectory. That challenge comes not from slackening demand but from stiffening competition from Oceania and the EU. And it calls for redoubled effort to reinforce the U.S. reputation for quality and service.

U.S. suppliers have made great strides in Southeast Asia through long-term efforts of their own and with the support of programs like USDEC’s milk powder quality initiative. We now plan on giving Southeast Asian end-users more reasons to buy American through communicating the U.S. Dairy industry’s story, which emphasizes the resources, capabilities, quality, commitment, investment in innovation, and other unique elements that the United States brings to the table.

In 2014, we also upgraded our Southeast Asia representation with an office in Singapore, held a series of 1-on-1 ingredient meetings with the local industry, and strengthened contacts with buyers at Food Ingredients Asia and other industry events.

It is all ramping up to the big event in 2015: U.S. Dairy Business Conference, April 16-17, in Singapore, hosted by USDEC.

This event will feature general educational sessions and smaller breakouts, alongside table-top display opportunities for members—similar to USDEC’s debut U.S. Dairy Business Conference in Dubai in 2013, which was lauded by U.S. sellers and Middle Eastern buyers alike. That program provided a platform for U.S. suppliers to demonstrate their interest in the region, explore further areas of opportunity and put to rest lingering doubts about U.S. dairy export commitment.

The conference is a prime opportunity for U.S. suppliers to cultivate long-term relationships through the face-to-face interactions that are so important in overseas sales—and lay the groundwork to drive U.S. dairy exports to Southeast Asia well past the $2 billion mark.

For more information on U.S. Dairy Business Conference in Singapore, see the conference's event page on usdec.org’s Global Marketing Events page here.

The U.S. Dairy Export Council is primarily supported by Dairy Management Inc. through the dairy farmer checkoff that builds on collaborative industry partnerships with processors, trading companies and others to build global demand for U.S. dairy products.  

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