Miedema says ASA's new office will place additional emphasis on marketing soybeans for human consumption in the region. There are 1.5 billion people in the subcontinent that need to be fed. Although soybeans are not a traditional food in India as in other parts of Asia, Miedema says there have been several successful projects which could lead to increased human consumption of soybeans. Extensive work has already been conducted creating soyfood products that are agreeable to the Indian and Pakistani palette. In the early 1990s, Miedema says ASA was involved in creating a soy-based lentil product.
Lentils are a staple in the Indian diet.
At the time of development, however, the product was price prohibitive compared to regular lentils. But recently, faced with limited production capacity and an exploding population, lentils have become too expensive for most Indian consumers to afford. As a result, the Indian Department of Health is currently looking at the soy-based product as a possible answer. May. At this point, this is a government-sponsored program, but if it takes off, we hope that it will be commercialized quickly by the private sector, and we will be there to help. But the long-term goal of ASA's work in the Asia Subcontinent, Miedema says, is much more than removing a global competitor.