ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER MARKET DEVELOPMENT continued on page 12 BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS The incoming missions are part of an ongoing relationship between Soy Canada, the organization’s members, and customers in Japan and Taiwan. Members of Soy Canada, including Grain Farmers of Ontario representatives, regularly travel to these international markets to meet with buyers and learn more about their needs. The incoming missions also give those same customers a chance to see soybean production and the entire Canadian value chain firsthand. “These visits included many customers that we met with during our outbound missions to Taiwan and Japan earlier this year,” says Dana Dickerson, director of market development and sustainability with Grain Farmers of Ontario. The difference with these incoming missions is the opportunity to meet with buyers here in Canada and bring several parts of the value chain together. “Some of the customers on these missions have visited Canada before, but for a number of them it's their first time learning about our production on the ground,” says Dickerson. According to Gallego, Soy Canada’s market development manager, that firsthand experience is an important part of the process. “The missions connect Japanese and Taiwanese buyers directly with Canadian growers, exporters, processors, and researchers,” he says. “Through farm visits, facility tours, seminars, and B2B meetings, buyers can better understand Canada's food-grade, non-GMO, and identity-preserved soybean production, quality, traceability, and sustainability.” Gallego also notes that by giving Canadian growers the opportunity to demonstrate production practices firsthand, the missions help protect and expand premium markets for Ontario’s food-grade and identity-preserved soybeans. GLOBAL CUSTOMERS Both Japan and Taiwan have well-established soy-food industries, making them important markets for building and strengthening relationships with buyers. Japanese consumers use soybeans in products such as tofu, miso, natto, soy milk, and soy sauce. Taiwan also has significant demand for soy food products, particularly tofu and soy milk, and imports soybeans for animal feed. Dickerson explains that, for Ontario farmers, these markets matter because they create demand for specialty soybeans such as identity-preserved (IP) and non-GMO soybeans, which can earn premiums over commodity production. “These missions help maintain and grow demand for specialty soybeans in two of Ontario's most valuable export markets,” says Dickerson, noting that by strengthening relationships with food manufacturers and importers who pay premiums for quality, trade missions like these can help support the demand that drives specialty soybean premiums for Ontario growers. Soy Canada estimates that premiums for specialty soybeans destined for these food grade markets can range from approximately $3 to $9 per bushel. The markets are also significant in terms of volume. Japan is the second-largest buyer of food-grade soybeans behind China. According to Soy Canada, exports increased in 2025, with Canada shipping approximately 384,000 tonnes to Japan, valued at $422 million, and approximately 69,000 tonnes to Taiwan, valued at $71.6 million. Dickerson believes the growing interest in Canadian soybeans is being driven by the reliability of the Canadian supply. “Food manufacturers in both Japan and Taiwan place a high value on supply security, consistency, and long-term reliability,” she explains. “In an increasingly uncertain global trade environment, Canada's reputation as a stable supplier of high-quality food-grade soybeans has become an important competitive advantage.” Delegates from Taiwan review a model of the Port of Montreal during their visit. Photo: Soy Canada.
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