May 31, 2024
US Grains Council and North Dakota Corn Council host African stakeholders to boost exports
To promote the export growth of US distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), the US Grains Council (USGC) and the North Dakota Corn Council recently organised a tour for industry stakeholders from East and West Africa to showcase US production facilities and the transportation supply chain.
"Feeding Africa's rapid population growth will be a priority for the global agriculture industry over the coming decades," said Mohamed Salah Bouthour, USGC deputy regional director for Africa.
"The Council is working to position US producers at the forefront of meeting the continent's demand. The DDGS market has an extremely bright future in the region due to its high protein content, and programmes like this will help facilitate its expansion into African feed diets."
The team arrived in St Louis, Missouri for tours at Bayer to learn about technology's place in agriculture and at ADM's river and rail transport facilities for an overview of how US commodities make their way to customers around the world.
The agenda then shifted to Iowa for meetings with a wide variety of supply chain stakeholders, beginning with a visit to Iowa State University's feed mill that included quality assurance walkthroughs from students at its dairy, poultry, turkey and crop production research and demonstration farms.
Participants also went to the Iowa Corn Promotion Board's educational centre and saw ethanol and DDGS production firsthand at a local ethanol plant.
The programme concluded in North Dakota, where the group was joined by NDCC Chairman and USGC Middle East, Africa and South Asia Advisory Team member Carson Klosterman, who shared his experiences as a US corn farmer and explained how his work contributes to the ethanol industry.
The Northern Crops Institute hosted the team later, providing insights into various feed mill practices. The agenda included visits to corn and dairy farms, allowing the group to observe the DDGS production process from seed to feed.
"The engagement from participants in this program was outstanding and further encourages the Council's efforts to promote DDGS in Africa," said Sadie Marks, USGC manager of global strategies and trade. "Participants saw the safety and value DDGS can bring into their markets by diversifying their input materials, which will encourage the feed industry to meet demand in a cost-competitive way."
- US Grains Council
