The U.S. Grain Council (USGC) participated in a six-city fact-finding mission to India focused on opportunities for U.S. sorghum.
The focus of the discussions was the use of Sorghum in food processing, industrial starch production, use as animal feed and in ethanol production.
“The Indian population has long consumed sorghum as a food product, and familiarity with its nutritional benefits provides a great opportunity to incorporate it into the growing Indian snack market,” said Jace Hefner, USGC Global Trade Manager.
According to the USGC, India faces a potential shortage of coarse grains due to population growth, reduced monsoon rainfall and increasing consumption of corn in animal feed and industry. India's import bans on genetically modified (GM) ingredients and the long cultural tradition of sorghum use point to the possibility of using American sorghum to address the growing feed grain deficit.
Called a supercrop, the plant has excellent heat tolerance and grows best in climates with long summers, which is very important in light of global warming.
Sorghum is rich in protein, iron, vitamin B6, niacin, magnesium and phosphorus and has a high energy value. It provides 10 percent of the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommended protein and nearly 75 percent of complex carbohydrates.
In recent years, the United States has been the world's largest producer of sorghum and will produce 2021 million tons of sorghum in 22-11,4.
The largest producers of sorghum in the United States have traditionally been the Midwestern states, including Kansas, South Dakota, Texas, Colorado and Nebraska.
The delegation conducted a comprehensive analysis of the Indian food sorghum market and supply chain, including visits to smallholder farmers growing jowar (Indian sorghum), and explored opportunities to incorporate higher quality sorghum into food products.
Source: Ukragroconsult (Ukraine)