USSEC - Southeast Asia conducted a workshop in Mandalay, Myanmar (also known as Burma) to introduce potential Burmese buyers to U.S. soy products and the U.S. supply system.  Topics discussed included the benefits of using U.S. soy; an introduction to the U.S. bulk handling infrastructure; the nutritional advantages on performance of livestock fed with U.S. soybean meal; and an introduction to using containerized shipping to Myanmar.

Twenty-five end-user feed and livestock producers attended this workshop, representing approximately 20% of Myanmar’s feed industry, along with local traders.  The U.S. export industry was represented by Eric Woodie, Senior Trader for Trans Coastal Supply, who presented the quality advantages of shipping by container from the U.S.  Dr. Khyaw Htin, Managing Director of the Mandalay Livestock Development Company, provided the group with a testimonial on his positive experience learning about the sophisticated farming methods and transportation infrastructure during his USSEC-sponsored crop tour of the U.S. in September.
Meetings were also held with several feed mills to better understand the market situation and needs in Myanmar.  Myanmar is a newly emerging market, only opening to U.S. trade opportunities in the past two years.  USSEC has been actively engaging the local industry in attempts to be among the first to capture the developing potential of this market.