Last month, U.S. Grains Council (USGC) staff traveled to Antalya, Turkey, to participate in the Seventh International Poultry Meat Congress and identify opportunities to increase sales of U.S. corn fermented protein (CFP) and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to the country.
The three-day program featured an opening general session followed by breakout groups focused on various aspects of poultry production, including breeding, nutrition and health.
“Turkey is a significant export partner for U.S. agriculture, particularly in DDGS, but with the strength of its domestic livestock industries, there is still significant untapped potential in this market if CFP and DDGS feed blending increases,” said Ana Maria Ballesteros, USGC deputy regional director for Europe and the Middle East.
USGC Director of Global Sustainability Carlos F. Suárez also attended the event and led a presentation on the systemic challenges associated with poultry production and the contribution of feed ingredients like DDGS. In his presentation, Suárez highlighted the link between feed ingredients with reduced environmental impacts, evaluated lifecycle assessment methodologies and discussed their potential to minimize poultry emissions and waste.
After Suárez’s session, Ballesteros and USGC Consultant in Turkey Ibrahim Sirtioglu attended breakout groups on poultry nutrition to understand what Turkish end-users are looking for in their feed ingredients and how U.S. corn co-products can help meet their goals.
The Council’s delegation also met with representatives from leading poultry feed producing companies active in Turkey to discuss their feed sourcing strategies and plans for future integration of DDGS and CFP.
“Our discussions with local industry leaders provided great feedback on feed formulations and the use of U.S. corn co-products, especially DDGS, in their poultry diets,” Ballesteros said. “The conversations offered us crucial insights for capitalizing on further export opportunities with Turkey, the largest U.S. DDGS export partner in the MEA region.”
Learn more about the Council’s work in Turkey 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.