U.S. DDGS, Sorghum Showcased In Turkey

U.S. Grains Council (USGC) staff in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region recently spent time in Turkey to promote the benefits and uses of U.S. distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and sorghum.

In both Izmir and Bolu, USGC Regional Director Ramy H. Taieb set the stage by welcoming attendees to the program and providing an introduction of the day’s agenda.

“This program is a continuation of all the efforts we have been putting into the poultry and dairy sectors in Turkey,” Taieb said. “After conducting two highly successful trials with DDGS in layer and broiler diets, it’s time to ensure adoption in the Turkish industry.”

Reece Cannady, USGC assistant regional director for the Middle East and Europe, provided a DDGS production, supply and demand overview before the program took a deeper look at DDGS use in the feed of layers and broilers with Dr. Ali Çalik, associate professor at Ankara University, and dairy and beef cattle with Dr. Alvaro Garcia, a consultant at Dellait Consulting.

“With the current shortage of feedstocks in the Turkish market, it’s a great time for feed millers to be evaluating a product that importers are already familiar with, and that’s DDGS,” Cannady said.

Participants in Izmir and Bolu also had the opportunity to learn more from Garcia on feed milling techniques with DDGS and sorghum during programming there.

Turkey is currently the ninth-largest importer of U.S. DDGS, purchasing 303,226 metric tons so far in the 2021/2022 marketing year. Additionally, the Council continues to look for opportunities to open the market for and build relationships with buyers and end-users of U.S. sorghum in the country.

“Turkey is a very reliable market for U.S. DDGS, and is a longstanding partner, despite low inclusion rates in poultry rations,” Taieb said. “So, the potential for growth in DDGS adoption and exports is still very much present in the Turkish market.”