In Ecuador, the US Grains Council’s (USGC) is helping swine and poultry producers improve their feed formulations using distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS).

Ecuador is a corn-producing nation, backed by a government self-sufficiency policy. In the past few years, however, the local corn crop has not been sufficient to meet domestic demand, resulting in expensive prices and government-issued import permits.

In contrast, Ecuador is able to import US DDGS, though only a few livestock producers are aware of the feed ingredient. This is why the USGC has commenced a flurry of activities to introduce it to local feed industries.

Since December 2016, the Council has conducted DDGS-specific programmes throughout Ecuador. The in-country programmes focused on Central American and Mexican nutritionists sharing their knowledge of DDGS with Ecuadorian counterparts. Expanded nutritional conferences for both the poultry and swine sectors in 2018 have reached around 100 current and potential end-users.

These efforts are reflected in the import volumes of US DDGS. Ecuador imported nearly 12,500 metric tons of US DDGS in 2016/2017, more than double the nearly 5,600 tons imported the year before. Thus far this marketing year (September 2017 to March 2018), Ecuador has purchased 4,950 tons of US DDGS.