U.S. Agricultural Exports in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is a promising market for agricultural exports, with its growing population of middle-class consumers, especially for exporters such as the United States. The region consists of: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. Top markets in the region for U.S. agricultural and food products are the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Leading U.S. exports are soybean products, wheat, cotton, skim milk powder, and distillers’ grains. U.S. agricultural exports to Southeast Asia increased from $9.4 to $14.2 billion from 2012 to 2022, and the U.S. share of Southeast Asia’s agricultural imports was steady at just over 11 percent. China and Brazil, two of the top competitors, were the only exporters that gained market share over the period. China surpassed the United States to become the largest foreign supplier of agricultural goods to Southeast Asia, but few of China’s products compete directly with U.S. products; Brazil’s soybean products, cotton, poultry, and beef do compete with U.S. products. There are numerous potential reasons that U.S. competitors have gained market share, varying by commodity. They include preferential treatment through trade agreements, along with price competition, geopolitical ties, and geographic distance from Southeast Asia. Currently, the primary U.S. competitors for major agricultural commodities exported to Southeast Asia are Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, China, India, Canada, and Argentina.