February 21, 2008

US exports of distiller's grain double in 2007

The US distiller's grain exports in 2007 set a new record and were nearly double over 2006 volume, the Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) announced this week.

Bill Hoffman, chairman of NCGA's Joint Trade Policy A-Team, said the DDGS export market continues to grow tremendously. He pointed that the strong demand for ethanol coproducts in foreign markets last year indicate the significant nutritional and economic value of these products for livestock.

In 2007, the US exported 2.36 million tonnes of distillers grains, up 88 percent from the 1.25 million tonnes exported the previos year. Export totals in 2007 nearly tripled 2004 levels.

Mexico came out as the top consumer of US distiller's grains for the second year in a row. The country purchased more than 700,000 tonnes of distillers grains, about 30 percent of the total exports last year.

Mexico-bound exports skyrocketed by 93 percent on-year.

Canada imported the second largest volume of US distiller's grains at 317,580 tonnes, followed by Turkey at 136,519 tonnes, Taiwan at 134,404 tonnes and Korea at 102,259 tonnes.

Furthermore, shipments to central and southeast Asia surged significantly last year with Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia purchasing the most in the region.

NGCA estimates that approximately 14 percent of US-produced distillers grains were exported in 2007.

Hoffman said that distiller's grain exports, which have been flat between mid-1990s and 2004, have been in an upswing in each of the last three years due to international growth of demand.