Last month, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) held a series of meetings and trainings with feed and livestock sector stakeholders in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania focused on sorghum’s capacity as a nutritious livestock feed at a lower input cost.
USGC Manager of Global Trade Jace Hefner was joined by Adel Yusopov of International Feed, a USGC member, to work with Council consultants based in Africa for the promotional programming.
“Due to policy issues restricting corn exports to some countries in Africa, feed millers are exploring U.S. sorghum’s potential in feed diets, a significant opportunity for U.S. growers,” Hefner said. “The meetings we organized, including a roundtable with the Association of Kenya Feed Manufacturers (AKEFEMA), were a follow-up to previous virtual and in-person training courses in the region aimed at enhancing protein production on the continent.”
The Council’s roundtable meeting with 18 AKEFEMA members, specifically feed millers producing mostly poultry and dairy feeds with a smaller group engaging in aquaculture and swine feed production, highlighted U.S. sorghum’s applications and availability.
Hefner and Yusupov facilitated discussions, and representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA’s FAS) office in Nairobi were present to answer additional questions from attendees about logistics and policy.
After the roundtable, the Council’s delegation traveled to Tanzania to visit broiler and layer facilities to view their logistical capacities and discuss how sorghum can reduce costs and pass savings on to consumers.
“End-user interest in sorghum is extremely strong in Kenya and Tanzania, but further training and capacity-building will be required to fully unlock the markets’ potential to U.S. producers,” Hefner said. “The Council is closely monitoring raw material prices and will continue working with stakeholders to develop solutions for protein shortages at an affordable rate for consumers while diversifying export markets for U.S. sorghum growers.”
Learn more about the Council’s work in Africa 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.