USSEC attended one of the largest industrial exhibitions organized in Russia, the International Industrial Trade Fair "MVC: Cereals - Mixed Feeds - Veterinary - 2015" at the All-Russia Exhibition Center of Peoples’ Achievements in Moscow from January 27-29.
The exhibition was accompanied by a diversified business program including international conferences, seminars and workshops devoted to different aspects of feeds supply and production, nutritional parameters of different feed additives and modern feeding programs, livestock production, feed market status and development, oilseeds and meals supplies, and veterinary issues, among other topics.  The USSEC team participated in three key events of the program, submitting presentations featuring the usage of soy in different feeding applications and demonstrating the nutritional benefits of U.S. Soy.

USSEC consultant Jan van Eys gave a presentation titled “Potential of Soy Products to Replace Fish Meal in Aqua Diets” at the international conference, “Innovations in Feeding Technologies and Commercial Fish Farming.”  This conference had the highest level of interest and attendance among local visitors.  More than 120 people attended the USSEC presentation and follow-up discussions.  Dr. van Eys answered a number of questions proving the availability of soy proteins for aquaculture diets.  Despite a poor level of the current aqua culture and fish farming in Russia, this area has a very high potential for development in upcoming years.  Domestic production of soy protein concentrate, which was started in 2014 by Kaliningrad-based Sodrugestvo Group, and shortages and high prices of fish meal have increased the interest of local feed producers to alternative protein sources derived from soybeans.
Dr. van Eys also submitted a presentation on soy products as sources of metabolizable energy in broiler diets at the international conference, “Development of Egg and Poultry Production in Russia.”  The poultry industry is the largest customer of soybean meal in Russia and the country aims to become self-sufficient in poultry meat production by the end of 2015.  The demand in high-quality protein and energy sources is steadily growing supporting the growth of soybean meal consumption in poultry feeding diets.
USSEC consultant Iani A. Chihaia presented “Soy Products as High Quality Protein Ingredients for Efficient Swine Feeding” at the international seminar, “Pig Farming.”  Russian animal breeders seriously underestimate benefits of soy usage in swine diets, so Dr. Chihaia focused his presentation on comparing soybean meal to other protein sources and demonstrated the nutritional aspects and economical gains of using of U.S. Soy in feeding programs.
One day of the visit to Moscow was devoted to meeting and consulting with local customers at the Sodrugestvo Group’s booth.  This time offered the opportunity for USSEC to further explain the advantages of U.S. Soy in poultry, aqua and swine rations.
Sodrugestvo is the largest buyer of U.S. soybeans in Russia and the CIS region. In the current market year, the company has contracted 350 thousand metric tons (TMT) of U.S. soybeans, of which 240 TMT were already delivered to the Kaliningrad crushing facility.  Perdue Inc. is the leading supplier of soybeans to Sodrugestvo.