January 14, 2013

"Dramatic shifts in corn production are taking place across the globe" said Kevin Roepke, USGC manager of Global Trade. "This is stark evidence that today's corn producer is well poised to take advantage of growing global consumerism."

Demand for meat in China experienced explosive growth over the past 20 years, with poultry consumption increasing by 300%.  During that period, pork consumption increased by 85%, and beef consumption has increased 155%.

At the same time, demand in the US has remained relatively static for pork and beef, which have risen only by 6% and 3% respectively. Only the poultry sector made major gains, but with only a 45% increase in demand, the gains seem paltry in comparison to those made in China.

Rice remains a dietary staple for more than two billion people, including India and China. As diets in China shift toward protein-rich foods, the livestock sector demand for feed ingredients such as corn will increase both in the US for export and overseas for domestic industries.

The US Grains Council has operated in China for more than 30 years with a country office located in Beijing specialising in technical demand building programmes and market intelligence.