Corn Harvest And DDGS Roadshow Garners Record Attendance In Southeast Asia

A record number of grain buyers attended the USGC Southeast Asia roadshow to learn about DDGS and corn quality.

More than 350 people attended a recent roadshow in Southeast Asia highlighting new-crop U.S. corn and U.S. distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and offering a sneak-peak at information from the U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) forthcoming report on corn harvest quality.

The Council conducted the seminars in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in late November and early December with the goal of demonstrating the transparency of the U.S. marketing system.

“Our willingness to share data, even in tough market conditions, and provide good information about the long-term U.S. production capacity is important to building strong relationships with our global buyers, especially in my region,” said Manuel Sanchez, USGC regional director in South and Southeast Asia.

The annual report, known formally as the U.S. Corn Harvest Quality Report, provides information on the initial quality of U.S. corn as the commodity enters merchandising channels and is assembled for export. The quality of new-crop corn as a primary feedstock also offers an early indicator of the quality of DDGS produced as a by-product of U.S. ethanol.

The seminar series offered a preview of the report’s results, which will be released in the coming weeks; an overview of the DDGS market; and information about the feed ingredients’ nutritional values for different animal species. A Vietnamese government decision in September to allow imports of U.S. DDGS to resume upon resolution of plant pest concerns spurred additional interest and attendance at the events.

“The United States has a well-earned reputation as the most open trading partner in the world,” Sanchez said. “This type of mission allows us to connect with the main commodity buyers in the region and gives us the platform to answer their questions and position U.S. exports for a strong rebound into this growing region.”

The U.S. Corn Harvest Quality Report will be followed in the spring with an updated version of the U.S. Corn Export Cargo Quality Report, which will provide objective information on quality at the point of export. Both of these reports and efforts to share their results with global buyers are central to the Council’s commitment to serving as a trusted source of information on U.S. production and marketing.

“The availability of accurate, consistent and comparable information is in the long-term interests of all concerned with the global corn market,” Sanchez said. “While price is an important consideration for buyers, the U.S. reputation for reliability and honesty is also a marketable asset.”

Look for the full U.S. Corn Harvest Quality Report in the next edition of this newsletter. In the meantime, find more information on the Council’s work on crop quality here
.