farmers straight through your regular Extension Service channels.
Farmers need a completely accurate picture of what can and cannot
be done in the way of expanding export markets.
PROGRESS IN EXPANDING EXPORTS
Serious problems need to be overcome in expanding exports. But,
the U. S. attitude is positive and progress is being made. Let me give
you a few examples:
In Switzerland, promotional efforts have pushed sales of U. S.
broiler chickens from virtually nothing in 1954 to an estimated 16
million pounds this year, which represents 55 percent of Switzerland’s
total poultry meat imports. Broiler sales in Germany have risen sharply,
and a steep uptrend in turkey marketings is expected, now that Ger-
many has lifted restrictions on dollar imports of U. S. turkeys. Interest-
ingly, Holland, the largest exporter of poultry in Western Europe, has
become a market for U. S. broiler chickens and turkeys following
promotional efforts of FAS and the U. S. poultry industry.
Experience gained in poultry market expansion in Western Europe
is being used to probe market opportunities elsewhere. Recently,
broiler chickens were introduced in Turkey and Egypt under P. L. 480
foreign currency transactions.
Oddly enough, lack of a market opportunity in one product can
open up possibilities in another. The United Kingdom, for example,
which imports only minor amounts of our poultry products, is rapidly
expanding its own broiler industry. Production in the past five years has
increased from virually nothing to 50 million birds. A popular predic-
tion is that output will reach 100 million in 1960 and 400 million
within the next decade. Obviously, opportunities for U. S. broilers in
the United Kingdom will be very limited. But broiler chickens require
mixed feed, and a 400-million-bird industry looks like a particularly
shining market possibility for the U. S. feed industry.
Cotton promotion projects are being carried on in 14 countries.
The projects through which full use is made of market research, sales
promotion, and general publicity, are carried out in cooperation with
the cotton industry. In the countries where promotional efforts are
being made, per capita consumption has risen significantly; in others,
downtrends have been reversed.
Projects have been undertaken in 24 countries to increase con-
sumption and imports of U. S. wheat and wheat products, feed grains,
seed, rice, and beans. Principal promotional efforts to date have been
devoted to wheat. Other promotional work is being conducted for
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