Council Leaders, Partner Organizations Engage Stakeholders In India

Last week, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) held its annual joint officers’ mission in India in conjunction with the United Sorghum Checkoff Program (USCP) and National Sorghum Producers (NSP) to highlight the organizations’ engagement in the country. India recently became a net coarse grain importer, and the Council is working to position U.S. products as the preferred choice for Indian buyers of coarse grains and distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS).

Organization leaders participating in the program were USGC Chairwoman Verity Ulibarri; USGC Vice Chairman Mark Wilson; USGC Secretary-Treasurer Jay Reiners; USGC Past Chairman Brent Boydston; USGC President and CEO Ryan LeGrand; USCP Chairman Ethan Miller; NSP Chairwoman Amy France; USCP CEO Tim Lust; USCP Board Member David Schemm; and USCP Director of Communications Clint White.

Council staff based in its New Delhi office, including USGC Regional Director for South Asia Reece Cannady; USGC Marketing Specialist Nayantara Pande; USGC Regional Consultant Amit Sachdev; and USGC Senior Ethanol Advisor Sonjoy Mohanty were also on hand to support and facilitate the team’s goals during the mission.

“Promotional efforts from the Council and the sorghum sector have generated significant interest in U.S. sorghum from Indian poultry producers who are paying record prices for coarse grains and are looking for affordable, nutritious options to sustain their operations and feed nearly one and a half billion people,” Cannady said. “This joint officers’ mission is well-timed to show Indian importers and end-users that the U.S. agricultural industry is committed to a fruitful trade partnership with India.”

The group held meetings with poultry industry stakeholders, including a roundtable with the Compound Livestock Feed Manufacturers’ Association (CLFMA of India), and visited a feed mill and hatchery to discuss how U.S. feed grains can reduce input costs while simultaneously improving livestock health and yields.

While in New Delhi, the delegation also met with staff from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA’s FAS) and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to align on strategies to support the Indian market and organize future opportunities for collaboration.

In addition to meetings and facility tours focused on feed grains, the team met with oil and gas refiners and toured an ethanol and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) research facility to see how biofuels are integrated into the Indian value chain.

“India has taken concrete steps to introduce a SAF mandate, beginning in 2027 and expanding gradually over the coming years, and the U.S. agricultural industry is ready to meet Indian demand for biofuels,” LeGrand said. “Additionally, U.S. coarse grain growers can provide a low-carbon input for Indian ethanol producers, offering comprehensive solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonize air travel in the world’s third-largest aviation market.”

Learn more about the Council’s work in India here.