US exports of DDGS up sharply

US exports of a key byproduct of ethanol production, DDGS, were up 24% last year.

Some 5.6 million tonnes of the livestock feed worth about US$1 billion were shipped out of the country last year, the Renewable Fuels Association said, citing data from the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service. Those exports represented about 18% of the total produced last year.

According to the trade group, the exported DDGS represent the equivalent in feed of four million tonnes of corn and 1.6 million tonnes of soymeal.

More than one-quarter of the exported DDGS, or 1.5 million tonnes, went to Mexico last year. Canada was the second largest destination, with nearly 804,000 tonnes, followed by China at 542,000 tonnes. China imported virtually none of the product in 2008, according to the Renewable Fuels Association.