WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S. — The U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC) latest DDGS promotion in China was a successful pair of workshops in Guangzhou and Qingdao, according to Alvaro Cordero, USGC manager of DDGS.

“The day-long sessions were designed to provide an exchange of comprehensive DDGS market information, including discussions and analysis of the value of U.S. DDGS,” he said. “We had 200 to 250 people at each session, a much larger attendance than we initially planned for. The emphasis was primarily on buyers, but we had attendees from other backgrounds.”

Cordero noted the benefits of having a number of USGC member companies present.

“This created a good opportunity for buyers and sellers to make connections,” he said.

The conferences, organized in cooperation with FoodChina Company, included presentations on DDGS use in swine, poultry and dairy rations, in addition to quality control, DDGS supply and demand, and pricing.

While the pace has slowed compared to last year’s record volume, the U.S. continues to export large volumes of DDGS to China, despite an anti-dumping case initiated by the Chinese government last winter.

U.S. shipments in the January-to-September period were down 49% from the previous year but still totaled almost 1 million tonnes, making China the number two export market for distillers grains.