01/15/09 The Wide World of Wheat from the Washington Wheat Commission

And now from the Washington Wheat Commission comes "The Wide World of Wheat" grain industry headlines from around the world. Reader Australia's government has funded a $9.3 million transitional assistance package intended to help wheat exporters develop new markets for Australian growers. The move comes after the elimination of the Australian Wheat Board as the sole marketer of wheat from Down Under. India has gifted 250,000 metric tons of wheat to Afghanistan. The nine million bushel donation is intended to help Afghanistan overcome its current food crisis as well as form a bond of solidarity between the two nations. Ukraine's 2008 grain harvest jumped to a record 53.3 million tons from 29.3 million tons in 2007. Ukraine consumes about 26 million tons of wheat domestically. The head of Georgia's Orthodox Church has accused certain parties of importing low quality grain into the former Soviet state. The Patriarch said the imported wheat is damaging the health of the population. The government denies such a problem exists on a significant scale. 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.