Asia a Valued Customer of US Feed Ingredients
GLOBAL - Asian importers can look forward to the increasing availability of a quality product this spring as US ethanol production makes advancements in output and the quality of its co-product, distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS).The US Grains Council’s Taiwanese and Japanese DDGS teams that travelled to the United States this week expressed their excitement about the quality of the product and how it has preformed in both feeding trials and real life production scenarios. "The quality of DDGS produced in the United States has improved and I am confident in using more DDGS from the United States," said Willis Wu-Yeh Cheng, chairman of Charoen Pokphand Enterprise (Taiwan) Co. Ltd., who participated in the study of US DDGS production facilities and suppliers across the Midwest.
Mr Cheng also noted his satisfaction with the current corn crop, saying, "The supply of US corn in 2009/2010 will be enough for meeting the demands from the United States and global customers." The Council arranges teams to the United States to expose key traders and buying groups to US grain and co-product quality and supply, while connecting importers with US suppliers.
Team members visited producer farms and ethanol plants and attended the Midwest Specialty Grains Conference and Trade Show in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where discussions with US food and feed suppliers and DDGS dealers may lead to potential partnerships. USGC Associate Director in Japan Hiroko Sakashita said, "One of the team members said he found a potential supplier of specialty corn for the future. Another team member said US DDGS dealers were quick to offer additional detailed information and further individual discussions about DDGS use for aquaculture, a promising market in Japan."
During a private meeting with Council members South Dakota Corn Growers Association (SDCGA) and South Dakota Corn Utilization Council held Tuesday morning, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Administrator Michael Michener spoke to the participants about the policies and priorities of the new administration and its focus on the expansion of the US agricultural export market.
"Michener mentioned how important trade was between the United States and both Japan and Taiwan," said Gary Duffy, USGC Asia Advisory Team member and SDCGA board member. "Meeting with the FAS administrator underscored the point that trade with Japan and Taiwan is important to the United States and that US farmers are a reliable supplier of corn and DDGS. This was helpful in driving home the point that DDGS is a high-quality feed ingredient and research is showing how it can be utilized in higher percentages in feed rations."
Team participant Tony Yi-Cheun Shu, executive assistant of Formosa Oilseed Processing Company Ltd. (Taiwan), said the team members highly appreciated Michener taking the time from his busy schedule to meet with them. "We feel we are regarded as valuable customers of the United States," he said.