American Soybean Association (ASA) director Bret Davis and United Soybean Board (USB) director C.D. Simmons had the opportunity to visit Indian soybean farms when they were in the country to attend the Soy Partnership Summit in July.
The farm visits, according to USSEC Deputy Regional Lead – ASC Vijay Anand, are an excellent way for farmers to communicate and learn from each other. The visits took place on a rainy day when the crop was about 30 - 40 days old.
The U.S farmers provided Indian farmers with information about technology and farming systems that they use at home and had several questions to ask the Indian farmers with the help of USSEC’s India consultants, who served as translators. Mr. Davis and Mr. Simmons shared pictures and videos of their farms, which was a very effective way to communicate. “Language and culture were not a barrier,” explains Dr. Anand.
Grower leaders were provided with an opportunity to learn about Indian soy farming systems, which also served as a platform for them to make their own assessments on the Indian soy situation, future opportunities and take back information.
Dr. Anand says, “These interactions will be useful in broader strategy planning and market assessments by different stake-holding sectors of the U.S. Soy industry.”