The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) utilized Market Access Program (MAP) funds to sponsor poultry production training sessions for West African poultry producers. This investment for the future is working to capture long-term feed demand from West Africa’s growing poultry industry through a train-the-trainers program.
Since the training program began in 2017, 246 individuals have been trained from eight countries in the region, including Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Cameroon, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The Council partnered with the Moroccan Poultry Association (FISA) to host these educational events at FISA’s poultry training center, Avipole, in Casablanca.
Participants are provided technical training and skills to plan for the long-term development of local poultry production in their countries, with each week-long session customized to meet the needs of the local industries in the countries represented. Program topics have included pullet management, feed formulation, egg layer production and biosecurity on poultry farms. Technical training seminars are coupled with practical, hands-on sessions as well as field visits to broiler farms, feed milling companies and poultry processing plants.
While modernization and industrialization of the poultry industry in West Africa will undoubtedly increase demand for U.S. feed grain exports, this change is also essential for the food security of a growing population. Due to rapid urbanization and economic growth, the demand for poultry – the most affordable and most commonly-consumed protein source in the region – is taking off. Future diet and demographic changes will lead to growing feed grain demand across West Africa, spurring the Council’s engagement.
Although too early to attribute direct sales to this program, the enthusiasm and appreciation for these programs is evident among the participants of the training. An increasing number of participants are sharing the cost of the training.
The Council has secured additional funding (Section 108 and ATP funds) through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA’s FAS) for the next three years. The Council believes that low-cost, long-term projects like this are vital in creating new markets for the future of U.S. grain producers.
About The U.S. Grains Council
The U.S. Grains Council develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol. With full-time presence in 28 locations, the Council operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability. Detailed information about the Council and its programs is online at www.grains.org.