Turkish Buyers Conclude Corn Co-Products Purchases During U.S. Tour

Turkey is the largest buyer of U.S. distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) in the Middle
East region. However, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the U.S. Grains Council was unable
to engage Turkish buyers via in-person programs for nearly two years.

In October 2021, in-person programming resumed when the Council invited a delegation of
Turkish buyers to the United States to attend the Distillers’ Grains Technology Conference
(DGTC). During the group’s travels, team members were able to learn about U.S. DDGS
production, meet with a variety of suppliers and explore export channels. As a result of the
program, the team members purchased more than $14 million of U.S. DDGS. The program was
accomplished by using Agriculture Trade Promotion (ATP) funds provided by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.

The team, hosted by the Council and the Illinois Corn Growers Association, visited a U.S. corn
farm, river elevators, and Marquis Energy, the largest single-site ethanol plant in the world.
Additionally, the team met with agribusiness companies, including StoneX in Chicago, and
toured a container port facility in Savannah, Georgia, where they were hosted by two DDGS
exporters.

Turkey is a traditional importer of bulk DDGS but has recently bought increasing quantities of
DDGS in containers, making the visit timely for evolving marketing opportunities in the Middle
East region.

Following the port visit, the team attended the DGTC in Louisville, Kentucky, where they heard
about emerging technologies in the corn co-product space, which will likely generate future
demand for these products. During the conference, the Council organized individual meetings
with U.S. agribusinesses, including CHS, Gavilon, The Andersons, Inc., and Louis Dreyfus
Company. The meetings provided a private venue for attendees to conclude negotiations to
purchase U.S. DDGS.

Following the trip, the team purchased 40,000 metric tons of U.S. corn co-products valued at
more than $14 million. The Council invested $50,000 of ATP funds to execute this program. The
resulting $14 million worth of business conducted yielded a return on investment of over $280
per $1 of ATP funds invested.