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USGC, NCGA joint mission highlights opportunities

US Grains Council and National Corn Growers Association leaders learned firsthand about Southeast Asian markets for US corn and co-products during a recent joint mission to Vietnam and Myanmar.

US Grains Council CEO Ryan LeGrand says it was a chance to visit countries that are in two different stages of development and grain and feed imports.

“We normalized relationships with Vietnam 25 years ago and since then have seen tremendous growth in grain and especially distillers’ grains exports,” he says. “Myanmar is just starting to open up their economy, they don’t have a lot of grain policies written yet, but we see a lot of potential going forward.”

He tells Brownfield it’s important to continue these trading relationships.

USGC has worked with the Vietnamese grain trade and feed industry for more than 20 years. Myanmar has become a priority emerging market for USGC in the last five years.

“Ninety-five percent of the world’s population lives outside of the US border so that’s where any growth is going to come from moving forward,” he says.

LeGrand says officers are taking a better understanding of trade opportunities overseas back to their home states.

Vietnam is one of the fastest growing feed markets in the world and a major buyer of corn and dried distiller’s grains with solubles. Vietnam is eh second largest buyer of US DDGS.

Myanmar is expected to steadily increase feed consumption and production over the next decade.

The USGC delegation included Darren Armstrong, Jim Raben, Chad Willis, Jim Stitzlein, Manuel Sanchez, Caleb Wurth and LeGrand. NCGA representatives included Kevin Ross, Lynn Chrisp, John Linder, Jon Doggett, and Brooke Appleton.

Audio: Ryan LeGrand, US Grains Council