USGC Holds In-Person Conference In China To Discuss Feed Grains, Proteins

The U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) office in Beijing, China, hosted its second in-person conference of 2023 in late February. The event – Feed Grains & Proteins Conference – covered the current changes, challenges and opportunities in the grain industry and was a joint effort by the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), the China Chamber of Commerce for the Import/Export of Native and Ag Products (CFNA) and the China Animal Agricultural Association (CAAA).

About 200 participants attended the event. In addition to feed mill and trade representatives, a wide range of Chinese institutions were in attendance, including the China Feed Industry Association, China Dairy Association, National Animal Husbandry Station of MoRA, China Grain Industry Association, CNGOIC (National Grain and Oil Information Center), Dalian Commodity Exchange and China Agricultural Trade Promotion Center.

“It was an honor to co-organize this conference with USSEC, CFNA and CAAA. The success of our event is a testament to the cooperation and collaboration between all four organizations. We used our synergies to provide market updates while fostering the presence of U.S. agriculture in one of the most vital export markets for U.S. coarse grains and oilseeds,” said Manuel Sanchez, USGC director in China.

During the conference, experts shared the latest information and market trends of global grains and oilseeds, animal protein production and consumption from different perspectives.

Three industry experts were also in attendance to highlight sustainability during the event. They discussed China’s agricultural and food system transformation strategy under the dual carbon goal, perspectives on sustainable agriculture and the U.S. Soy Solutions to Carbon Goals.

“The 2022/2023 grain marketing year continues to be a time of change and challenges for China’s feed, swine and trade sectors,” Sanchez said. “Our seminar aimed to provide the most updated information on global markets of grains and oilseeds, protein production and consumption and to discuss market trends, opportunities, certainties and uncertainties for the end users, producers and other market stakeholders in the 2022/2023 marketing year.”

Looking ahead in 2023, the Council’s China office has arranged programs focused on its trade development efforts for U.S. sorghum and malt barley, while also looking at the domestic aquaculture industry’s potential for coarse grains and co-products.