Saga of Superbean

Faster growing than sugar cane or cotton, more protein-packed than fresh red meat, able to reap more foreign cash than any other farm product . . . It's a plant, it's an export, it's Superbean!

The once lowly U.S. soybean has indeed become super. It is the nation's No. 1 cash crop, most valuable farm export, and most volatile and controversial commodity. An increasingly affluent world wants more and more soybeans because they are great sources of protein for hogs, poultry -and people. Soybean oil is the major ingredient in salad and cooking oils and margarine. Ground up, the bean is used as an "extender" that stretches out hamburger, ravioli and soup. In Japan, a bowl of bean-paste soup is the equivalent of a Westerner's cup of coffee. Some admirers even allege that roasted soybeans, which are shaped like chickpeas, will increase sexual vigor.

Soybeans, which grow on hip-high plants and can flourish in moist, temperate climates, were cultivated in China as long as 4,000 years ago. "Oriental peas" were introduced to the U.S. in 1804, but they were planted mostly to replenish the nitrogen in soil depleted by cotton or corn. Only after World War II did agronomists recognize the beans' real potential. The U.S. is now by far the largest producer, growing 90% of the soybeans involved in international trade. This year American farmers expect to harvest more than 1.5 billion bushels, up some 18% from last year. Prices jumped from $4 per bushel in January to $12 per bushel last month but, as a result of new export controls and the expected bumper crop, prices have started to drop. Most of the American beans are grown in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee. Other producers: Brazil and China.

The U.S. exports more than 50% of its crop. Last year sales hit $2 billion, without which the dollar would have become even shakier in money markets. Western Europe bought more than $ 1 billion worth of U.S. beans and Japan $375 million worth. Now the Government's export controls threaten the U.S.'s near monopoly. Properly indignant, Japanese and European officials have intensified their search for more reliable suppliers of superbean.

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