US Pork exports to Japan boom

The weakness of the dollar compared to the Yen is an obvious factor many would attribute to the increase however Tokyo-based analyst Greg Hanes states that "this has a little bit to play on it, but I think in Japan it's not as big of a factor as most people think because there's a gate-price system in Japan where all imported pork has to meet that same price. Regardless of what the exchange rates are, the products still have to come in at that same average price,"

Imported pork has become more attractive to Japanese consumers due to the large increases that nation is experiencing in livestock feeding and production costs, he added. But while imports are available in Japan from several pork-producing countries, the quality and consistency of U.S. pork is making it the preferred choice of more Japanese consumers.

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