12/24/08 The Wide World of Wheat from the Washington Wheat Commission

Anchor: And now from the Washington Wheat Commission comes "The wide world of wheat" grain industry headlines from around the world. Reader: The Ukrainian Grain Association has asked the country's prime minister to consider subsidizing crop exports. The association predicts Ukraine's grain carryover will be 17 million tons come next July if no stimulus is forthcoming. A Mexico City-based bakery, Grupo Bimbo, is set to become the world's largest bread maker with the purchase of George Weston Ltd., a U.S. baker with 8,000 employees, 22 plants and 4,000 distribution routes. After the $2.4 billion acquisition is complete, Grupo Bimbo will own six of the top 12 fresh bread brands in the U.S. A study by the Indian Institute of Agricultural Research found wheat farmers who sow their crop late lose as much as 40 percent of their yield. The second half of December is considered very late sown wheat in India. The country's harvest begins in March and continues through May. A study has found Venezuelan consumers spend more than half their income solely on food with many eating only a package of cookies or crackers for lunch. Both staples are made from wheat, a market the U.S. and Canada dominate in Venezuela. I'm Bob Hoff. Anchor: The Washington Wheat Commission wants growers and citizens alike to understand their industry has global reach. A pebble thrown anywhere in the world of grain is felt as ripples by Washington's 13,000 growers and their landlords.