Photo credit: U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council.
Market development efforts supported by the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council are helping expand demand for U.S. corn, sorghum and distillers dried grains with solubles in key international markets.
Through Market Access Program and Regional Agricultural Promotion Program funding, the Council’s Europe, Middle East and Africa regional office strengthened relationships with grain importers, feed manufacturers, ethanol producers and other end-users in Spain and Portugal. At the same time, the Council used MAP funding to connect Korean DDGS buyers with U.S. suppliers, generating new business opportunities.
Iberian Market Growth
In Spain and Portugal, the Council promoted the quality, reliable logistics and performance advantages of U.S. corn and sorghum. The efforts included highlighting U.S. corn’s higher starch extractability for ethanol production and its feed efficiency in livestock production.
Through April of Marketing Year 2025/26, the value of U.S. corn and sorghum exports to Spain and Portugal increased 42% compared with the entire previous marketing year. Export volume increased 38% over the same period.
The Council sponsored representatives from one of Spain’s largest grain trading companies and the country’s largest pork and poultry integrator to attend the Export Sorghum Conference in San Antonio, Texas, in September 2025. The participants also toured Texas production and export facilities and met with U.S. exporters. The relationships contributed to commercial purchases of U.S. sorghum for shipment to Spain through May 2026.
In November 2025, the Council followed up with a mission to Spain and Portugal. In Spain, it met with four major grain importers that collectively account for more than 30% of the country’s annual grain imports, as well as one of Spain’s largest integrated pork and poultry producers.
In Portugal, the Council partnered with the Portuguese Feed Manufacturers Association to hold a conference for leading feed industry representatives. The event focused on the value and reliability of U.S. feed grains.
The Council continued its work in February 2026 with an Executive Mission to Spain. The mission included presentations on the 15th Annual U.S. Corn Quality Report and a visit to Vertex, Spain’s largest ethanol producer.
The Council and Vertex have collaborated since 2024, including processing trials at Vertex’s Galicia facility. The organizations discussed expanding evaluations of U.S. corn’s starch extraction performance. If adopted long-term by Spain’s ethanol sector, the opportunity could generate demand for approximately 1 million metric tons of U.S. corn annually.
Six Spanish representatives also participated in the Council’s Buyers & Sellers Regional Conference in Rome, Italy, in June 2026. The delegation represented leading grain importers and end-users and participated in business-to-business meetings, technical presentations and networking events with U.S. exporters.
The Council invested approximately $56,033 in MAP and RAPP funding for market development across the Iberian Peninsula through April 2026. Based on estimated export value growth of $278 million during the marketing year, the investment generated an estimated $4,961 in export value for every $1 of RAPP funding invested.
Korean DDGS Demand
The Council also used MAP funding to connect Korean feed industry buyers with U.S. DDGS suppliers.
In September 2025, the Council sponsored 10 DDGS buyers from major Korean feed companies and a Council escort to attend the 2025 S.E. Asia U.S. Agricultural Cooperators Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia.
During the conference, the Korean buyers participated in one-on-one business meetings with U.S. suppliers to discuss procurement opportunities. Nine participants responded to a post-trip survey and reported meeting with an average of more than five companies each.
The meetings generated consultations involving approximately 79,500 tons of DDGS with an estimated value of $20.1 million.
The effort supported Korea’s position as a major market for U.S. DDGS. Korea imported 1.367 million metric tons of U.S. DDGS in 2025, making it the second-largest importer and extending its streak of importing more than 1 million tons annually to eight consecutive years since 2018.
The Council invested $25,000 in MAP funding for the Korean buyers team, generating an estimated $20.1 million in sales opportunities. That represented an estimated return of $804 in export value for every $1 of MAP funding invested.
The results in both markets demonstrate the potential for targeted trade promotion programs to translate relationships between U.S. suppliers and international buyers into increased demand for U.S. agricultural products.
Sources:
U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council, "Council’s Sustained Engagement Drives 42% Growth in U.S. Feed Grain Exports to Spain and Portugal"
U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council, "Council-Sponsored Buyers Team Generates $20.1 Million in DDGS Sales, Reinforces Korea’s Position as Top U.S. DDGS Market"