Last month, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) escorted an Egyptian team of buyers on a crop tour in Nebraska following the group’s participation in the biennial Export Exchange 2014 in Seattle, Washington. Egypt last year rebounded to be a large market for U.S. corn and corn co-product imports, especially distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and corn gluten meal (CGM). 

While rising exports from Black Sea producers have eroded U.S. market share in recent years, Egypt returned to buying U.S. corn in the 2013/2014 marketing year, purchasing 2.6 million metric tons (102 million bushels) of U.S. corn. This represents about 45 percent market share of the Egyptian corn market after having a zero percent market share for the United States in the previous year. 

“This team had the opportunity to talk directly one-on-one with Nebraska producers to ask questions and get information,” said USGC Regional Director of the Middle East and Africa Cary Sifferath. “Those types of questions and answers between the large buyers in Egypt and the U.S. corn producers are really key to being able to sell U.S. feed grains to Egypt.”

The Council will work to sustain and expand this country’s demand for U.S. corn and corn co-products in the current marketing year and beyond.

Click here to view photos from this team.