Council Shares Insights Into U.S. Sorghum In Pet Food In Chinese Market

Last week, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) participated in the 6th Companion Animal Feed Ingredient Conference (CAFIC) in Suzhou, China by inviting Florentino Lopez of the United Sorghum Checkoff Board to share important insights on the value and benefits of including tannin-free U.S. sorghum in pet food formulations.

CAFIC is organized by Lamb Consultancy and is the only business-to-business gathering in China focused on bringing together pet food ingredient suppliers and industry buyers on an annual basis to discuss market dynamics and trends.

Lopez was joined by representatives from the Council’s Beijing office including USGC Director in China Manuel Sanchez, USGC Livestock Sector Advisor Brian Wang and USGC Marketing Specialist Xiaoming Wang. The Council’s membership was also represented, as LongRun Agri Group Director Daniel Hon attended to give an agribusiness perspective on U.S. sorghum’s nutritional capabilities.

“Though there is very little usage of sorghum in pet food formulations in China, Chinese pet food companies are very hungry for product ideas that can help them outpace their competition to meet growing consumer demand,” Wang said.

“The presentation couldn’t have come at a better time, evidenced by the number of people that came to visit the Council’s booth to discuss sorghum’s potential afterwards.”

The Council’s presentation was attended by nearly 400 event attendees from pet food companies, industry associations, traders and equipment manufacturers to learn about the production and supply of tannin-free U.S. sorghum and the value proposition for including U.S. sorghum in pet food formulations.

As a continuation of the Council’s feed grain promotion, the team also attended the China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-products’ (CFNA’s) Grain and Feed Conference, attracting more than 150 representatives from state-owned enterprises, multinational corporations and Council members, Hang Tung and LongRun.

The Council held a separate meeting with CFNA, that acts as a link between China’s Ministry of Commerce and the international grain industry. Its representatives emphasized the importance of maintaining communication regardless of geopolitical factors because of overall optimism that China will remain a net grain importer that relies on quality products from the U.S.

“The continued popularity of the CFNA’s feed grain conference reflects the significant growth of the imported grains in China and end-users’ desire to stay at the front of the latest research and opportunities for competitive advantages,” Wang said.

“Sharing not only details about U.S. feed grains’ nutritional benefits, but also insights into transport logistics like sorghum’s relatively low administrative barriers for import, generated significant interest from buyers in attendance.”

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