Market Matters Blog

OMAHA (DTN) -- Vietnam will lift its suspension of U.S. distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) imports and ease fumigation requirements for U.S. corn and wheat imports, U.S. Grains Council President and CEO Tom Sleight told DTN on Friday.

In an official press release Friday, Sleight said, "We are very pleased to hear the news from Vietnam overnight that, as of today, import permits will be issued for U.S. DDGS and new phosphine fumigation protocols will be acceptable for shipments of U.S. corn, DDGS and wheat."

"Since the suspension on imports was put in place late last year, our staff has worked closely with industry and government both here in the United States and in Vietnam to find a resolution to this issue. This intense effort was strongly supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) leadership, officials in its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)," added Sleight.

"While we never want to see a market closed to our products for any reason, this was an example of how to effectively and comprehensively tackle a scientific challenge impeding trade flows. It was also a reminder of the importance of strong trade policy. Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing feed markets in the world, and the disruptions and losses this issue caused reinforce the need for agreements that ensure open access and outline resolution processes for mutual concerns," he said.

USGC thanked U.S. and Vietnam government officials and industries in both countries for their collaboration on resolving the issue.

The news should help boost the U.S. DDG market, which has seen prices slump in the past few weeks.

The DTN average dried distillers grains (DDG) spot price from the 39 locations DTN collects bids from was $106 for the week ended Aug. 31, 1 cent lower on average from one week ago.

Based on the average of bids collected by DTN, the value of DDG relative to corn for the week ended Aug. 31 was at 86.72%, and the value of DDG relative to soybean meal was at 36.01%. The cost per unit of protein for DDG was $3.93, compared to the cost per unit of protein for soybean meal at $6.20.

Merchandisers noted again that the California market is feeling weak. Truck markets elsewhere have been mostly steady, but there were a few changes this week. The cash corn price has been dropping most of the week, but did see some recovery on Thursday.

CIF NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) DDGS prices weakened in the past week with August at $139 to $146, and September at $138 to $143. Barge movement slowed down after late July early August push, but if anything was trying to move the past week or next week, they will face slowdowns due to a major lock closure in the UMR.

On Wednesday, the Mel Price lock was closed, delaying all shipments to and from the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois River. At this point, the USACE has not given an estimate on the length of the closure, but they have indicated this closure could be several days. On top of that, repairs at the LaGrange Lock on the Illinois River is causing delays in each direction due to work being performed on the lock chamber.

Mary Kennedy can be reached at mary.kennedy@dtn.com

Follow Mary Kennedy on Twitter @MaryCKenn

(CZ)

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