Jerry Costello, Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), has voiced growing concern over the drop in U.S. soybean exports to China, a key market for the state’s farmers. He emphasized that Illinois depends heavily on stable trade ties with the world’s top soybean importer.
In 2023, agricultural exports from Illinois totaled $13.7 billion, with $957 million attributed to soybean sales to China. Costello noted that this figure falls significantly short of previous levels seen before trade tensions escalated.
He recalled a similar downturn in 2018, following the imposition of tariffs: prior to that, Illinois had exported $1.3 billion worth of soybeans to China. The following year, exports plummeted to $116 million—a staggering decline of approximately $1.2 billion.
While state authorities cannot override federal trade policies, Costello stressed that Illinois can still strengthen international trade relationships through proactive engagement.
“Our focus is on maintaining existing partnerships and attracting new buyers, making it clear that Illinois is open for business,” he explained.
This week, the IDOA is hosting trade delegations from China, Vietnam, Egypt, and other nations as part of its biannual Illinois Grain Tour. These efforts have already proven effective—last year’s tour generated around $159 million in business, a $30 million increase from the previous year.
— news from Brownfield Ag News
— News Original —
Illinois Ag Director: Lack of soybean sales to China raises major economic concerns
The director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) says the lack of U.S. soybean sales to China is a major concern. n nJerry Costello says farmers in his state rely on a solid relationship with the world’s largest soybean buyer. n n“In 2023, the total exports from the state of Illinois’ agriculture were $13.7 billion.” He says, “$957 million of that was to China in soybeans.” n nHe says history seems to be repeating. n n“The last time these tariffs were put on in 2017, pre-tariff, we exported $1.3 billion of soybeans to China.” He says, “When the tariffs were put on the next year, we exported $116 million to China, a loss of about $1.2 billion.” n nCostello tells Brownfield the state can’t circumvent federal tariffs, but it can work to build relationships with export partners. n n“Trying to make sure that we’re retaining relationships and also recruiting new buyers, letting these folks know the state of Illinois wants to do business with them,” he says. n nCostello says IDOA is welcoming trade delegations from China, Vietnam, Egypt, and other countries this week as part of its bi-annual Illinois Grain Tour with the hopes of securing further trade commitments. n n“Our grain tours last year did about $159 million worth of business just from those tours, which was up $30 million from the year prior,” he says.