New Delhi. As one of the fourteen members of Regional Advisory Council (RAC) of Soy Excellence Center-India, I attended SEC India Annual Regional Global Governance meeting in Bangalore on April 02, 2025. Besides fourteen RAC members, the meeting was attended by USSEC Leadership and US Stakeholders who obtained great inputs on the Indian Protein Value Chain/Industry and the need for workshop/skill development. It was great to interact with Mr. Kevin Roepke, Regional Director, for South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, USSEC and with Global Advisory Panel of SEC; Mr. Mark Reed, the new Chairman of SECs (Illinois Soybean Association), Ms. Annie Meis, Vice-Chair of SECs (Nebraska Soybean Board), Mr. David Williams (Michigan Soybean Committee) and Kellie Gypin, Focus Areas Advisor of SECs
With global protein demand projected to grow by 15% by 2031 as the world population reaches close to 10 billion, the food and agriculture sectors face a huge challenge for providing nutritious food to large sections of the population. Referred as the ‘King of beans,’ soybeans account for a large portion of direct and indirect protein consumed around the world. About 76% of soy production is used as low-cost, quality protein for animal feed for meat and dairy production, 20% is consumed as edible oils and human food products – tofu, soy milk, and tempeh, and 4% is used for industrial purposes, primarily in the form of biodiesel. U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) ensures market access for the use of U.S. soy for human consumption, aquaculture, and livestock feed in more than 90 countries. Its members represent the soy supply chain including farmers, processors, commodity shippers, merchandisers, allied agribusinesses, and agricultural organizations. The council is funded by the U.S. soybean checkoff, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service matching funds and the industry.
Soy Excellence Center (SEC) since it’s launching in 2019, the focus of the USSEC has been to expand and include several regionals across globe and set up SECs that meet local workforce skilling needs. The aim of these centres is to build capacity and market potential of food and agriculture businesses. The focus is to ensure a future in which soy is known across the globe as a key change agent. USSEC operates SECs in five regional hubs-the Americas, Asia, India, Middle East and North Africa & Sub-Saharan Africa. SECs offers basic certificate courses in poultry, feed milling, aquaculture, and soy food and beverage to enhance industry expertise and sustainability. These courses equip professionals with essential knowledge on feed formulations, global milling practices, aquaculture advancements and soy-based food innovations. Through expert-led training and interactive learning, the centre boosts technical skill enhancements that drive productivity and food security. By fostering a skilled workforce and promoting best practices, the centre strengthens the global soy value chain, reinforcing USSEC’s commitment. These centres globally aimed at improving health and nutrition of communities in emerging markets like India. This is achieved by strengthening the capacity and market potential of businesses within the food supply chains through training of the workforce.
USSEC board leaders are key to guiding growth
US Soy is America’s No. 1 agricultural export, which contributed $31.2 billion to the U.S. economy during the last marketing year. USSEC board leaders are key to guiding growth and important contributors to U.S. Soy’s mission of differentiating and elevating a preference for U.S. Soy and attaining market access. SECs are located in key emerging soy export markets around the world and are an ‘in-the-trenches’ deployment of soy demand capacity building, where we focus on community-based education through peer-to-peer workforce training for early to mid-stage soy professionals. From 2019 to 2024, USSEC’s SEC programs have engaged 31,400 participants, reached more than 40 different countries, held 137 structured training events reaching 17,652 participants in the 2023-24 market year alone. Grown our mobile-optimized online educational program, launched in 2022 and taught in three different languages – English, Spanish and Arabic – to a user base of more than 3,300 annual participants. By highlighting the essential role soy plays in animal and aquaculture diets, and for human food consumption, USSEC’s SEC program is growing the global demand for U.S. Soy today and collaborating to build new markets for future demand.
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