Corn Export Cargo Quality Report Rollouts Continue Around The World

The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) continues to roll out the results of its most recent U.S. Corn Export Cargo Quality Report. Last week, programs were held in South Korea, Guatemala and Colombia to share the findings with buyers of U.S. corn and co-products.

In Korea, nearly 140 corn and co-products buyers and end users were in attendance for the program. Not only did the program inform buyers of the excellent export quality and sufficient supply of U.S. corn, it also strengthened ties with feed and corn processing industries there by sharing expert insights on global market issues. In addition, Dirk Rice from Illinois Corn and Casey Kelleher from Wisconsin Corn joined the event via Zoom and offered updates on U.S. corn planting and crop progress – the biggest concern of global buyers – which was well received by the participants.

“This year’s Corn Export Cargo Quality Report is the 12th report published by the Council since 2012 and is evaluated by Korean buyers as a valuable report that enhances the efficiency of purchasing decisions and corn product processing,” said Haksoo Kim, USGC director in Korea.

“As shown in the report, the U.S. corn that the Korean office confirmed at the arrival port in April was of very good quality, including broken corn and foreign material (BCFM) and test weights. Accordingly, it is expected that Korean buyers’ U.S. corn imports will recover from the second half of this year.”

In the Latin America (LTA) region, participants representing 21 companies operating in three cities in Guatemala and Colombia, received the report results in addition to a maritime freight market outlook by Santiago Lloreda, general manager of the Colombian freight brokerage firm Colfletar. The Council also used this event as an opportunity to launch its Corn Sustainability Assurance Protocol (CSAP) and Sustainable Corn Exports (SCE) website.

“The commitment of the Council to the annual corn quality reports has resulted in recognition of the transparency of the origin among end-users and importers of U.S. corn in Latin America. Our valued customers across the region expect the yearly report presentations and rely on the information it provides to prepare the operational aspects to manage and preserve the grain when it arrives at the destination ports, storage and processing facilities,” said Ana Ballesteros, USGC LTA marketing director.

“They have also gotten used to receiving additional value-added content related to corn or corn co-products, so it was an opportunity to accompany the results’ presentation with a maritime freight outlook and launching CSAP and SCE. The sustainability portion was well-received, and many customers expressed their interest in registering and beginning to receive the records of sustainability for their U.S. corn and corn co-products purchases. The Council will follow up with those that expressed interest to guide them through the registration process and operating the platform.”

The export cargo quality report is a companion to the corn harvest quality report that provides information about the quality of the most recent U.S. corn crop at harvest as it enters the international merchandising channels. Both reports provide reliable information on U.S. corn quality from the farm to the customer based on transparent and consistent methodology.