Nearly 421,000 metric tons of U.S. feed grains, including soybeans, wheat, corn and corn co-products, were sold and/or negotiated during the 10th Southeast Asia U.S. Agricultural Cooperators Conference held last month. The total sales valued at more than $150 million.

This event is jointly conducted by the U.S. Grains Council and the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), to provide Southeast Asia grain importers with the latest market and industry information on grain trade and transportation market trends. Conference participants gained an enhanced understanding of world grain flows and the U.S. quality advantage.

Southeast Asia is the third largest regional market for U.S. distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), accounting for 13 percent of total exports in 2012. Southeast Asia’s rapid population growth combined with a continuing urbanization and a dietary shift towards increased consumption of animal proteins could cause a significant increase in demand for corn and corn co-products in the region.

“The conference provided an opportunity for top-level decision makers to interact and communicate on trade and/or product related issues,” said Ron Gray, USGC vice chairman, who spoke at the conference. “The most outstanding feature of the conference is that it will provide a venue for U.S. suppliers to interact with relevant trade participants from the region. These partnerships will lead to new possibilities.”

The conference attendees consisted of feed ingredient buyers, integrated food and feed producers, poultry and livestock raisers, crushers and ag-related associations and businesses in and around Southeast Asia. Major regional and international suppliers of agricultural products and raw feed ingredients were also present. The event provided a macro and micro economic review of the latest developments in the United States and of global grain production and trade.