Vietnam Makes First Purchase of U.S. Sorghum
A Vietnamese feed and milling company purchased 1,000 metric tons of U.S. sorghum last week after attending a tour of Texas sorghum facilities sponsored by the Sorghum Checkoff and the U.S. Grains Council.
The purchase was the result of a recent visit by a group of Vietnamese buyers looking to incorporate sorghum into the diets of swine and poultry. The visit was preceded by months of education efforts that involved U.S. Grains Council officials working with Vietnam nutritionists to promote how the value of U.S. sorghum can benefit the Vietnamese swine industry.
A Vietnamese feed and milling company purchased 1,000 metric tons of U.S. sorghum last week after attending a tour of Texas sorghum facilities sponsored by the Sorghum Checkoff and the U.S. Grains Council.
The purchase was the result of a recent visit by a group of Vietnamese buyers looking to incorporate sorghum into the diets of swine and poultry. The visit was preceded by months of education efforts that involved U.S. Grains Council officials working with Vietnam nutritionists to promote how the value of U.S. sorghum can benefit the Vietnamese swine industry.
Vietnam is a new customer for U.S. sorghum, and there are high hopes of a continued relationship with the country in the future. Sorghum Checkoff Marketing Director Florentino Lopez said this purchase offers an important opportunity for U.S. sorghum producers. “As a first time sorghum purchase, roughly 40,000 bushels does not seem like much,” Lopez said. “However, Vietnam has only purchased about 70,000 bushels of U.S. grains in the past five years, which makes the role of this purchase much more significant.” According to the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE), Vietnam currently imports about 110 million bushels of grain, which could provide real market potential for U.S. sorghum. “Increasing grain exports from U.S. producers has a positive impact on grain industry values,” he said. “Our role as the Sorghum Checkoff, along with the efforts of the U.S. Grains Council, is to further educate Vietnamese end-users about the benefits of using sorghum. Our goal is to take this meager export and convert it to a significant, consistent marketplace for U.S. sorghum.” The purchase was made by Anh Dung Investment Trading and Production, a feed mill and trading company, and will be shipped to Vietnam in containers where it will be fed to swine. This sorghum will also be milled, mixed and sold to some on-farm clients of purchasing company.