With funding from USDA’s Market Access Programme, the Council organised the gathering of US grain exporters with key customers in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. Seminars, workshops and one-on-one consultations helped foster the sales, said Brian Arnold of Council member Delong Company Inc., who participated in the Road Show.

“I am optimistic and excited about DDGS market expansion in this region,” said Mr Arnold. “The road show, especially the one-on-one consultations, allowed end-users to bring their concerns to the forefront and have them addressed. The mix of nutritionists, integration and export logistics allowed all parties involved the opportunity to cover the full scale of the DDGS market conditions faced in each specific market or region.

Adel Yusupov, USGC regional director in Southeast Asia, said, “The SEA DDGS Road Show provided an opportunity for top-level decision makers in the poultry industry to receive technical training in DDGS use and application. The Council utilises programmes such as this to identify innovative, aggressive foreign companies, help them establish relationships with US suppliers and provide them with an enhanced DDGS knowledge base to maximise their profitability. This is the most effective way to promote and foster sales of US DDGS.”

The SEA DDGS Road Show is a part of on-going Council programmes focused on DDGS marketing in Southeast Asia. The Council has been providing trade and technical training on how to use DDGS in the region’s animal rations since 2005. The use of DDGS by the poultry sector, for example, has tripled since then, reaching approximately 900,000 metric tons in 2009, but the growth potential has not yet been reached.