The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) recently led an assessment mission of feed technology, animal nutrition and trading industry professionals to develop a roadmap for program engagement in Vietnam and Thailand.

The group included Dr. Gerald Shurson, Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota; Dr. Kim Koch, Northern Crops Institute; and Randy Ives, The Gavilon Group, LLC. The Council was represented by Kurt Shultz, USGC director of global strategies and joined by Kevin Roepke, USGC regional director of South and Southeast Asia.

Visiting two of the most rapidly developing livestock industries in Southeast Asia, the focus of the mission was aquaculture and dairy in Vietnam and poultry and aquaculture in Thailand. These industries have already stimulated billions of dollars in foreign investments. 

“These two countries are distinct and important markets for U.S. coarse grains and co-products,� Shultz said. “Vietnam and Thailand import most products by container and not by bulk, which also makes them competitive markets that import a large variety of products with a variety of different suppliers.�

Vietnam is particularly unique because of its growing market and upward potential. There is opportunity for U.S. grain sales there as Vietnam is a large exporter of aquaculture and has a high per capita consumption of pork. Thailand is a more mature market with a sophisticated poultry industry, but there is opportunity for U.S. engagement to help it expand even further.

“As part of the Southeast Asia market assessment, we examined the possibility of feeding trails in the aquaculture industry,� Shultz said. “Our focus with this industry is to aid and teach farmers how to incorporate distiller’s dried with and solubles (DDGS) and sorghum into rations. This could offer an opening to import more than a half million tons of DDGS.�

Photos from the mission are available here.