Representatives from the U.S. Grains Council met with key players in the Dominican Republic's feed industry last week to promote American feed grains and co-products in the growing Caribbean market.
The delegation, including USGC Marketing Specialist Angelica Rios, Regional Programs and Special Projects Manager Sierra Richey and Consultant Mario Zumbado, conducted one-on-one meetings with major feed sector companies and held a technical seminar for leading agribusinesses.
"The Dominican Republic is a rapidly growing economy and the agricultural sector is expanding to meet that demand, resulting in an exciting rise in U.S. exports so far in marketing year 2024/2025," Richey said.
The team began their visit meeting with representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agriculture Service to coordinate agricultural export promotion strategies.
During the technical seminar, the council launched its corn origin study, which demonstrates U.S. corn's superior performance in feed milling compared to other sources.
The Dominican Republic currently imports approximately 1.2 million metric tons (47 million bushels) of corn annually, with more than half sourced from the United States. The country's proximity to the Gulf of Mexico provides significant logistical advantages for U.S. exporters.
While the Dominican market shows strong growth potential, council representatives noted that infrastructure and storage limitations currently restrict the use of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a valuable corn co-product used in animal feed.
"Increased adoption is expected as these challenges are addressed through training and investment," Richey said. "The feed industry has been very receptive to the Council's outreach, and we're excited at the potential of the Dominican market to expand even further."
The council continues to emphasize the advantages of U.S. origin products as the Dominican Republic evaluates corn imports from various global suppliers.
