Last week in Morocco, aquaculture industry professionals from around the world came together for the U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) International Aquaculture Conference. The conference covered topics including the nutrition of various aquaculture species; raw material procurement; aquafeed ingredient properties; biosecurity; pellet quality and extrusion technologies.
This workshop not only acted as an educational opportunity for aqua professionals, but it also allowed the Council to strengthen its ties with Moroccan aqua feed industry professionals, specifically, as the organization connected them to international industry professionals. The Council sees the aquaculture industry as a catalyst to leverage and raise demand for U.S. corn co-products, especially corn-fermented protein.
“The Council has been promoting the use of U.S. DDGS in aquafeed rations recently to expand the number of commercial feed manufacturers using the product,” said Ramy Taieb, USGC regional director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
“These types of events enable the Council’s EMEA regional office to join forces with Council staff from offices in Southeast Asia, Latin America, China and Mexico, and work to achieve common goals in support of U.S. producers. Aquaculture is a growing industry in the world, and it’s extremely important for stakeholders to understand the quality and availability of U.S. feed grains as they expand their operations and increase output,” Taieb said.
In addition to the two-day conference, the Council’s EMEA staff led the group on a tour of a local fish farm and organized a visit to the National Institute for Fisheries Research.
Moving forward, the Council plans to continue promoting and highlighting the benefits of U.S. corn co-products, especially corn-fermented protein products, in aquafeed ration. The Council hopes its work in Morocco this past week is only a starting point for U.S. added-value products reaching the aquaculture industry in the EMEA region.
Read more about the Council’s work in DDGS here.
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.