Council Promotion Efforts Lead to 1 MMT of U.S. Corn Sales To Middle East & Africa

Engaging virtually, the U.S. Grains Council (USGC) was able to expand the promotion of its annual corn harvest quality report to buyers, end-users, and stakeholders in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa, who reported millions of dollars of U.S. corn purchases in surveys conducted after the events.

The Council’s regional office in Tunisia presented the 2020/2021 Corn Harvest Quality Report in seminars attended by more than 120 stakeholders, an increase from 30-50 participants in traditional, in-person events. Four virtual events catered to the specific interests of markets represented. The attendees included grain importers, feed millers, poultry and livestock producers, and end-users representing 18 countries.

For the first time, stakeholders in markets across East and West Africa were also able to attend a corn crop quality seminar presented by the Council. The virtual format permitted participation across the Middle East and Africa, including by participants in developing markets in Senegal, Nigeria, Kenya, and Tanzania.

To supplement these larger events, the Council hosted one-on-one consultations via virtual webinars with the main players in
the region. As such, the team from Alf Sahel, Morocco, learned more about U.S. corn co-products and the benefits in poultry and ruminant feed diets. The Arasco team from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had the opportunity to learn more about risk management when the Council’s member Stone X presented the global supply and demand and highlighted U.S. corn availability and price competitiveness compared to other regions. The Council also hosted a Cairo3A team to further feature the Council’s starch program in Egypt and its progress. The Council’s crop quality seminars are meant for sharing information on the current corn crop with buyers, end-users, and other stakeholders. In addition to providing data on grade factors, physical factors, and chemical composition, the programs also served to demonstrate the openness and transparency of the U.S. grain chain – information that is unparalleled by competing suppliers. Three U.S. farmers have virtually joined the events in early 2021 to help Council staff members and representatives promote U.S. corn exports.

Following the conference, the team members who attended the Council’s series of virtual corn quality rollouts were surveyed. Council contacts bought more than 1 million metric tons (39 million bushels) of U.S. corn valued at more than $250 million, mainly destined for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (500 TMT) and North African countries (500 TMT), including Egypt. The Council invested $20,000 in Market Access Program (MAP) funds to execute these events. The
resulting $250 million worth of business conducted yields a return on investment of over $12,500 per $1 of MAP funds invested.