DDGS Center Stage At Global Shrimp Forum

This first Global Shrimp Forum – held in the Netherlands – was established for leaders in the shrimp industry to meet, gain access to information, share insights and build relationships with the objective of steering the industry toward a profitable future including more sustainable farm and feeding practices.

The U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) aquaculture consultant, Ronnie Tan, was invited to chair the feed and genetics session on Sept. 8. Together with more than 400 participants, the session included major shrimp feed companies from the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.

The Council made strong commitments to aquaculture promotion in late 2019 in the Southeast Asia region and has since successfully established promotional programs across the globe.

“The Council remains committed to aquaculture promotion globally. Baseline feeding trials, education programs and global conferences such as this one, are bringing more awareness to the opportunity of course grains in global aquaculture diets,” said Caleb Wurth, USGC regional director in Southeast Asia and Oceania.

The program agenda highlighted the Council and branded the organization as an important contributor to the global shrimp industry, which currently produces five million metric tons (MMT) per year, requiring 7.5 MMT of feed with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of three to four percent. The high prices of feed ingredients provide an opportunity for U.S. distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), and at an inclusion rate of five percent, represents a volume of 375,000 MT.

“Recent studies by USGC have shown that DDGS can be included at up to 15 percent in shrimp feeds throughout the commercial cycle at equivalent growth performance and offer savings of up to three percent in the formulation cost. The results have been published in a peer-reviewed journal, Aquaculture Reports,” Tan said. “The yeast and beta-glucans in DDGS also offer functional benefits in boosting the immune system of the shrimp.”

The Council looks forward to continuing its work around the world to promote DDGS use in the aquaculture sector.