Agricultural Trade Mission To West Africa Leads To U.S. Corn Sales

The U.S. Grains Council and U.S. industry members participated in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Trade Mission to Nigeria and Ghana in 2019 to meet with the main feed industry members there and to kick off the Council’s program engagement in the region as a result of Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) funding.

The mission allowed Council participants to understand better the feed market and target priorities and opportunities in West Africa, and it resulted directly in exports of 33,315 metric tons (1.3 million bushels) of U.S. corn, valued at $7.20 million.

Ghana and Nigeria present a small but growing opportunity to expand U.S. grains into Western African countries, fueled in part by a growing poultry sector. The two countries began importing U.S. corn in the 2016/2017 marketing year, with 307 TMT of imports.

Still, West African countries are challenging markets. They are growing quickly, though their feed and livestock industries remain small and fragmented. Apart from Nigeria, which has by far the most professional and modern feed industry, most of the feed produced is done so in backyard operations. Across the region, the poultry industry shows the most opportunity for growth but is hampered by feed costs, which exceed 70 percent of total production costs.

The opportunity exists to be able to capitalize on this demand gap and future growth by establishing formal trade relationships. Despite this potential, the Council’s engagement in West Africa has been limited due to the lack of funding. With access to ATP funds, the Council is able to expand its engagement and to open new markets for U.S. feed grain in the region.

As part of the ATM, the Council made site visits with buyers of U.S. feed grains in Nigeria and Ghana to strengthen the importers’ knowledge of the U.S. market, build on existing exports and increase the overall flow of U.S. feed grains to the region.

Following the Agricultural Trade Mission, a Nigerian importer bought 33,315 metric tons (1.3 million bushels) of U.S. corn, valued at $7.20 million. The Council invested $14,000 in Agricultural Trade Program (ATP) funds to attend this mission, resulting in a return on investment of more than $517 per $1 of ATP funds invested.

Learn more about the Council’s work to promote ethanol use in Africa.