August 25, 2010
Egypt to conduct sorghum feeding trials
Egypt will conduct feed trials this November, testing US non-tannin grain sorghum.
The sorghum, totalling 60 tonnes, was shipped to Egypt by the US Grains Council. The grain sorghum will be utilised by Egypt's Dakahlia Poultry Company, the third largest vertically integrated poultry operation in that country.
Chris Corry, USGC senior director of international operations, said the feed trials will be supplemented by experiments at the government-run Research Centre for Food and Feed. US nutritionist will travel to Egypt to set up the feeding protocols, monitor the trials and analyse results.
The introduction of non-tannin grain sorghum in Egypt would expand the market basket of products available for import to that country. USGC expects import duties to be eliminated while the trial is taking place, but not before an educational foundation for non-tannin grain sorghum is provided. Grown commercially only in the US, non-tannin sorghum is preferred for poultry feed because it does not inhibit the digestion of tryptophan, an essential amino acid in poultry.
Egyptian buyers will visit the US in October, and as the trials in Egypt begin. The Council will run workshops, conferences and seminars as part of its educational efforts there. Trial results will be given in Egyptian seminars in February. USGC hopes to use this experience in opening the Egyptian market for DDGS and corn gluten.
