Ethanol Blog

The U.S. Grains Council quickly responded to a problem with a shipment of dried distillers grains with solubles in Vietnam that threatened to disrupt trade, according to an article by the Council (http://bit.ly/…).

In September, Vietnamese officials found insects in a container shipment of U.S. DDGS at the Port of Hai Phong. The larger cabinet beetles (Trogoderma Inclusum LeConte) are common in the U.S., but are on Vietnam's quarantine list.

The Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture's Plant Production Department requires fumigation or re-export of the shipment and fumigation of future shipments for anything on the quarantine list.

Adel Yusupov, the Council's director for Southeast Asia traveled to Vietnam, along with officials from the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, to meet with Vietnamese officials. The U.S. team examined containers with PPD staff and helped coordinate information back to U.S. DDGS exporters.

Some Vietnamese officials also traveled to the U.S. to the Council's Export Exchange 2012 where they got a first-hand look at the U.S. DDGS supply chain and had meetings with APHIS, the Federal Grain Inspection Service and other U.S. officials.

As a result of the Council's efforts, PPD approved the use of phosphine as a fumigant instead of other types that are not used in the U.S.

The Council's goal is to remove U.S. DDGS from Vietnam's quarantine product list. One PPD official commented that DDGS is an important feed ingredient for Vietnam and solving the issue would be beneficial for both countries.

Cheryl Anderson can be reached at Cheryl.anderson@telventdtn.com.

(ES)

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