USSEC Americas Regional Director, Francisco de la Torre, attended the 40^th anniversary event of AFABA, the Ecuadorian Feed Manufacturers Association, in Quito, Ecuador. This private event was solely for AFABA members and its special guests, USSEC and U.S Grains Council. AFABA was founded in July 1972 and presently has 324 registered members, 102 of whom are active.  The current President of the Board, Dr. Cesar Muñoz, has been in his position since 1996.

The event included the presentation of commemorative plaques to AFABA members according to their years of membership. Additionally, a group of employees was awarded for their years of service. During the ceremony, Mr. de la Torre presented a plaque to Dr. Muñoz as a token of appreciation for his persistent efforts to build a strong foundation for AFABA members, allowing them to purchase raw materials at competitive prices due to volume, as well as other benefits. The plaque stated the USSEC’s appreciation to AFABA for their loyalty and preference for U.S. soy products.
AFABA represents 43% of Ecuador’s feed volume; the country currently produces around 2.3 MT of feed. Ecuador requires the importation of approximately 600 TMT of soybean meal. During the 2012 fiscal year, the U.S. had 70 % of the market share.  Dr. Muñoz and Mr. Wilson Hidalgo stated that AFABA will continue importing U.S. soybean meal, as its members are convinced that the U.S. soybean meal has the best quality. USSEC should continue providing technical assistance and training to the animal production chain in Ecuador.