GUJARAT, INDIA — The US Grains Council (USGC) recently traveled to India to examine the possibility of exporting distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to the Indian dairy industry.

“Currently, there is no market access for US DDGS in India, but there is massive demand for dry fodder in the livestock industry,” said Reece Cannady, USGC regional director for South Asia. “As the most populous country in the world, it’s impossible to understate the opportunity in front of us to open a brand-new market for US agriculture.”

Cannady and US Forage Export Council (USFEC) Director John Szczepanski led a delegation that included USGC Marketing Specialist Nayantara Pande; USGC Regional Consultant Amit Sachdev; USGC Administrative Assistant Pallavi Mahindru; POET Technical Services Director Dr. Kevin Herrick; and Viviza Services Consultant Dr. Pradeep Mahajan.

The group toured a feed plant and met with management staff and animal nutritionists to discuss the industry’s current feed formulas and its potential needs for the future. They also visited several local farms and processing centers for a full view of the dairy industry from start to finish.

The next two days were spent at AMUL, the largest dairy cooperative in India and one of the largest dairy product manufacturers in the world, touring its facilities and meeting with executive staff.

The team examined AMUL’s dairy facilities, chocolate plants and its calf rearing center, which was jointly supported by the USGC in 2017 and is now the leading dairy cattle genetics program in India. Group members then gave presentations to the company’s leadership about the nutritional benefits and availability of US DDGS.

“DDGS are packed with protein, environmentally friendly and abundantly available from US producers, all significantly attractive factors to the Indian dairy industry,” Cannady said. “Opening the Indian market to US DDGS would be a win for US producers and exporters and for Indian producers looking for additional dry ingredients that will improve livestock health, dairy quality and milk yields.”