Forty participants from major Algerian poultry producers and feed millers participated in the first USSEC-sponsored poultry nutrition conference at Mercure Alger Aéroport in Algiers, Algeria on December 6.  Agenda is attached.
Justina Torry, Agriculture Attaché, U.S. Embassy Algiers, and USSEC consultant - Middle East North Africa (MENA) Mousa Wakileh provided introductory remarks and welcomed the Algerian poultry and feed industry participants to the meeting.

Dr. Craig Coon, USSEC consultant and professor of Poultry Nutrition at the University of Arkansas, presented four seminars to the group. He kicked off the program telling the group about the economic value of U.S. soybeans and soybean meal compared to soybeans from other origins. Dr. Coon told the Algerians that U.S. soybeans had higher levels of digestible essential amino acids and metabolizable energy than found in soybean meal from other origins.
He informed the group that U.S. soybean meal has more monetary value because of the extra nutrients provided in simulated feed formulations for growing broilers, using current feed prices from Morocco. Dr. Coon, through the help of Khalid Benabdeljelil, USSEC consultant – Morocco, has followed feed prices and retail value of broilers sold through wet markets or eviscerated whole bird markets since 2015. Dr. Coon formulated feed using corn soybean diets with current nutrient specifications used for Ross and Cobb broilers. Feed prices are much better for the poultry industry in North Africa and Algeria in 2017 and 2018, compared to 2015. The formulations allowed the Algerians to see firsthand the extra monetary value of U.S. soybeans when compared to soybean meal from other origins. Dr. Coon compared feed prices for starter, grower and finisher feed formulated with corn and soybean meal from the U.S., Brazil, Argentina, and India. When all soybean meal is set at one price, the difference in feed cost for each diet shows the actual monetary difference of each meal. If a set of nutrient specifications are to be obtained in broiler formulations, additional inclusion levels of soybean meal from other origins needs to be provided along with extra vegetable oil and synthetic amino acids. The differences observed in feed prices for starter, grower and finisher feed allows Dr. Coon to develop production cost differences with simulated poor, average, and good feed conversion ratios (FCR) for producing broilers. Consideration of wet market value and eviscerated whole bird retail markets in Morocco provides the opportunity to compare the actual net gain per broiler and differences between net gain when using soybean meal from other origins.

The group was interested in knowing why U.S. soybean and soybean meal is superior to soybeans and soybean meal from other origins. Dr. Coon told them it is a combination of many reasons, but it is about the genetic soybean cultivars utilized in the U.S. and optimum environmental growing conditions such temperature, moisture, and latitude and longitude locations. The value of the meal comes from great soybeans produced in the U.S. and high standards and quality control for producing soybean meal.
Dr. Coon also gave three additional seminars on poultry production and different things that can help. The other three presentations were “Effects of Heat Stress on Layers,” “The impact of Digestible AA, ME, Broiler Strain and Environmental Temperature on Broiler Performance and Yield,” and “Maximum Energy Utilization for Poultry.”
Mr. Wakileh and Dr. Coon presented the participants with a certificate of attendance for coming to the USSEC program.

“I was very happy to attend USSEC’s Poultry Nutrition and Disease Conference today.  Today’s conference was well attended and the participants were energetic and full of well thought out questions,” Ms. Torry stated. “The poultry sector in Algeria is growing and seeking to modernize.  I encourage USSEC to carry out more conferences and trainings in Algeria, as the attendance and participation during today’s conference is a testament to the interest and potential of this market.”