WASHINGTON – The U.S. Grains Council successfully shipped two containers totaling 44 metric tons of distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to Algeria.
The containers arrived in the Port of Algiers as part of the Council’s Quality Sample Program and represent the first-ever imports of U.S. DDGS by Algeria.
The DDGS will be used in feeding trials scheduled to begin in February or March. The receiver was ECI Boudiab, the largest feed grain importing company in Algeria.
Discussions. For over a year, the council has been in discussions with ECI Boudiab regarding the set up of DDGS feeding trials in Algeria. Most recently, in October 2007, ECI Boudiab representatives attended the International Distillers Grains Conference hosted by the Council and BBI International in Schaumburg, Ill.
The council hopes to accomplish several objectives via its Quality Sample Program in the North African country.
“First, we’d like to introduce DDGS to the Algerian market,” said Kurt Shultz, U.S. Grains Council director of Mediterranean and Africa.
“Government officials are unfamiliar with corn coproducts such as DDGS or corn gluten feed. Currently, the import duty on corn is 2.5 percent while the duty on DDGS is 30 percent.
“The council will also use these trials to educate endusers about DDGS and its use in poultry and ruminant feeds and work with the government to reduce the duty and open the doors for future imports,” he said.
Projections. The council projects that Algeria could easily import 100 tons to 200 tons of DDGS annually, once the industry becomes comfortable with this product.
Currently, Algeria imports 2.2 million tons to 2.4 million tons of corn annually with a U.S. market share of 50 percent to 60 percent.
As for the U.S. Grains Council’s feeding trials, a farm has been selected. Once the shipment has cleared customs, the trials can begin, Shultz said.
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