USSEC recently participated in the International Global Gap Tour 2013 in Quito, Ecuador.  More than 150 participants from Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and Uruguay took part in this event.  USSEC consultant Jairo Amezquita escorted a delegation of Ecuadorian shrimp producers who are being sponsored for this fiscal year by USSEC and were invited to participate in order to obtain Global Gap Certification.

The certifier company inspectorate develops the certification process using USSEC standards and working with local shrimp producers.  Event participants were updated on the latest normative issues and learned from other agricultural sectors about the advantages of being certified under this entity to reach crucial markets.
Ecuador is the largest shrimp producer in the Americas region and a major world producer, producing more than 210,000 metric tons (MT) of shrimp in 2012, which represents a potential consumption of more than 120,000 MT of U.S. soybean meal.  USSEC’s continued support of this industry is important in order to maintain the current consumption levels of U.S. soybean meal.