USGC Promotes Importance of Export Diversity

Diversifying American Ag export markets to avoid relying on one particular nation is a strategy some commodity organizations started utilizing well before the current trade war.  Tom Sleight of the U.S. Grains Council said his organization's focus on export diversification came about because of Chinese tariffs on US dried distillers grain eight years ago.

"We've had to have changing trade patterns for sure, but we've been working on changing trade patterns really since 2010 when we first had countervailing duty and anti dumping action filed by China."

And although these duties were dropped by China two years later, Sleight says the lesson learned has been applied over time and expanding markets for D-D-G, ethanol, and other grain products represented by USGC.

"Having a really strong year in the Middle east, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, record pace record exports there, we'll continue down this road working in a lot of different markets particularly Southeast Asia."

Which Sleight added translates to record pace for exports of grains and ethanol in 2018.

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