The U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) staff – including USGC EMEA Regional Director Ramy H. Taieb – attended the sixth annual Grain and Oilseeds MENA conference held in Cairo, Egypt last week to receive the latest updates on grain trade in the region. The conference brought together leading industry experts to debate opportunities to diversify sources of supply and distribute the latest news in the grain trade.
“Egypt has been facing a severe economic crisis over the last decade. With foreign exchange shortage, the country reduces its import bill, leading to a shrink of corn and co-products shipment,” Taieb said. “Attending the Global Grain MENA conference in Egypt allowed us to highlight the Council’s engagement and continuous support of the local feed industry. The event was an opportunity to highlight U.S. corn co-products’ availability, benefits and added value to reduce the cost of feed production for the poultry, dairy and aquaculture sectors.”
Topics discussed at the conference included a 2023 global grain harvest overview; a review of global grain trade disruption and flows; a 2023 Black Sea export outlook and an examination of food security challenges in the MENA region; a U.S.-to-MENA agri-commodities supply update and an in-depth analysis of Egypt, among others.
“This conference allowed the Council to strengthen its ties with Egyptian counterparts while it offers future educational programs that can help the industry to leverage constraints. Programs, like the storage and starch projects which show the high value of U.S. corn compared to other origins, were designed and established for the Egyptian feed industry and then duplicated all over the world, showing the Council’s commitment in the country,” Taieb said.
Attending conferences that focus on subject matter related to the work done globally by the Council is one of the ways the organization stays on top of the latest trends to assist in developing markets, enabling trade and improving lives.
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.