Photo credit: U.S. Wheat Associates.
The arrival of the U.S.-flagged Liberty Grace at the Port of Mombasa marked a key step in the movement of hard red winter wheat under the U.S. Food for Progress program, advancing a coordinated effort to support trade development and livestock feed systems in East Africa.
The vessel delivered U.S. wheat to Kenya’s busiest port, where U.S. Embassy officials, USDA representatives and Counterpart International staff observed discharge operations in early May 2026. The shipment is part of a broader initiative to introduce U.S. wheat to regional millers while generating proceeds for livestock sector development.
Susan M. Burns, chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, observed the unloading and characterized the shipment as an example of expanding agricultural trade ties between the United States and Kenya, with additional benefits for livestock feed development efforts.
Food for Progress Framework
The shipment is tied to the USDA Food for Progress program, which uses U.S. agricultural commodities as a development and trade expansion tool. Under the program, commodities are provided to implementing partners that sell them locally and use the proceeds to fund agricultural development projects.
In September 2025, USDA awarded Counterpart International 69,600 metric tons of U.S. wheat for its Livestock Innovation and Feed Transformation project. The wheat was divided into four shipments loaded in the United States between February and early April 2026, then transported to East Africa, with deliveries split between Kenya and Tanzania.
A total of 183,700 metric tons of U.S. wheat was included across related Food for Progress initiatives in Kenya and Ethiopia.
Shipment Logistics and Market Entry
One of the major shipments, totaling 47,000 metric tons, was loaded aboard the Liberty Grace at the Temco export terminal in Houston on March 17, 2026. The vessel departed for East Africa and arrived in Mombasa on April 21, 2026.
Global grain marketer CHS facilitated the sale of the wheat to the Andersons and the Bakhresa Group, which allocated the grain across multiple East African markets. Following discharge, the shipment was distributed to regional buyers and milling operations.
The Andersons pre-sold its portion to 16 millers in Kenya and Uganda, allowing immediate movement into commercial channels. The Bakhresa Group, a major milling operator with facilities across multiple East African countries, directed its allocation to mills in Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.
Market Development and Milling Relationships
The Food for Progress structure is designed to demonstrate the quality and performance of U.S. wheat classes to international buyers while building long-term commercial relationships. In this case, U.S. Wheat Associates has worked for years with the Bakhresa Group through technical programs, buyer education and trade team visits focused on U.S. wheat classes and grain procurement systems.
The Bakhresa Group’s participation reflects broader market development efforts that have included training and engagement in U.S. wheat production regions. The company made a commercial purchase of 5,000 metric tons of U.S. HRW wheat in September 2025, its first such purchase since 2018, during a U.S. trade mission.
Industry representatives involved in the program noted that Food for Progress shipments help demonstrate milling performance and flour quality characteristics, which can influence procurement decisions in price-sensitive markets such as East Africa.
Kenya and surrounding markets rely heavily on imports due to limited domestic wheat production, with competition primarily among global exporters including Black Sea origins. Price remains a key factor in purchasing decisions, making performance demonstration an important part of market development strategy.
Livestock Feed Development Through LIFT
Proceeds from the monetization of the wheat will fund Counterpart International’s Livestock Innovation and Feed Transformation project, which focuses on improving Kenya’s livestock feed systems and expanding access to cost-effective feed ingredients.
The five-year project, running through September 2030, aims to strengthen feed manufacturing capacity, harmonize livestock feed regulations and improve trade conditions for feed ingredient imports. It also seeks to support Kenyan livestock producers by improving feed quality and reducing production costs.
Kenya’s livestock sector faces high input costs, with feed accounting for as much as 70% of production expenses in dairy and poultry systems. Regulatory barriers, including restrictions on biotechnology-derived imports, tariffs and strict sanitary requirements, further constrain feed ingredient availability.
Sorghum is identified as a key ingredient with potential to improve feed formulation efficiency. The project includes efforts to support feed manufacturers in processing sorghum and assist livestock producers in adopting it into rations, with the goal of improving productivity and farm income.
Counterpart International and USDA stakeholders describe the initiative as a dual-benefit system that strengthens local agricultural industries while also expanding long-term market opportunities for U.S. agricultural producers, including sorghum growers.
Long-Term Trade Development Impact
U.S. Wheat Associates and project partners view Food for Progress monetization as a mechanism for linking humanitarian assistance with trade development. By combining commodity movement with technical training and market engagement, the program is intended to build familiarity with U.S. wheat quality and strengthen commercial relationships.
The Liberty Grace shipment represents one segment of this broader strategy, linking U.S. wheat producers with East African millers while financing livestock sector development initiatives through sales proceeds.
Over time, project stakeholders expect that improved milling performance, stronger feed systems and expanded trade relationships will support increased agricultural commerce between the United States and East Africa, reinforcing the long-term objectives of the Food for Progress framework.
Source: U.S Wheat Associates, "U.S. Wheat Monetization Through Food for Progress Program Builds New Opportunities in Kenya Livestock Feed"