The US trade deal will not flood India with DDGS or Red Sorghum, says Amul MD Jayen Mehta

Jayen Mehta, Managing Director, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF).

Terming the agreement as a major victory for farmers, Mehta said the agreement has protected the domestic dairy and agricultural sectors while sharply improving export competitiveness. “It’s a fantastic deal. We have the best deal in the world for dairy and agriculture. The whole fight has been access to dairy and agriculture. The deal has not only blocked the two sectors in India but also ensured that they are protected,” said Mehta.

He added that the pact will provide a significant boost to exports. “The deal also only reduces duties on exports. It is a big boom for both the dairy and agriculture sectors,” Mehta said, noting that the tariff on Indian dairy exports to the US has been reduced to 18 percent from 50 percent earlier.

One of the main concerns following the trade deal was the potential increase in imports of DDGS, an energy-dense, protein-rich byproduct of ethanol production, which is widely used in animal feed in countries such as the US. DDGS is produced primarily from corn or rice and contains concentrated proteins, fats and minerals after starch is removed during ethanol processing.

However, Mehta said DDGS has very limited applicability in Indian dairy feed formulations, regardless of price or availability. “We do not use more than 3-4 percent of DDGS in the cattle feed consumed by the dairy industry. Although DDGS contains a lot of energy, it leads to fat excretion in the cattle. So, the presence of DDGS in our recipe is not more than 3-4 percent,” he added.

The US-India Interim Agreement states that India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers grains (DDGs) and red sorghum for animal feed, among others.

GCMMF is one of the largest livestock feed producers in the country, producing 10,000 to 12,000 tons of livestock feed every day. Mehta said even the abundant availability of DDGS would not change feed recipes. “Despite its abundant availability, we cannot use more than 3 to 4 percent of DDGS because DDGS is not good for livestock,” he added.

Addressing concerns that lower tariffs could lead to higher imports of red sorghum for animal feed, Mehta said the grain will remain only a secondary option, and not a core ingredient. “Red sorghum is being used as an alternative to maize – which is available in abundance in India – as a basic ingredient in animal feed,” he said. Maize remains the main source of energy in Indian livestock feed, especially for poultry and livestock, with sorghum being used selectively based on price and regional availability.

Mehta also ruled out importing finished animal feed from the US, citing differences in feed composition and regulatory preferences. “No animal feed from the US will be imported into India as their animal feed is based on bone meal,” he said. India restricts the use of certain ingredients of animal origin in animal feed, especially in the dairy sector, due to health, religious and regulatory concerns.

Amul products are exported to around 35 countries including the US. According to official sources, Amul products worth ₹150-200 crore are exported to the US annually. This includes 19 products including cheese, butter, paneer, ghee, ice cream, benverages, chocolates, Amulya, sweets, cheese spread, Shrikhand, Lassi, basundi and buttermilk.

Published on February 7, 2026