01/29/09 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 Falling wheat prices have led to Germany's largest bioethanol producer to announce it will switch from sugar to wheat as its raw material. Russia's minister of Agriculture said he expects the country to export 23 million tons of grain during the 2008-2009 marketing year. Last year, Russia exported 12 million tons of grain. Sri Lanka's International Water Management Institute warned the livelihoods of one-third of the world's population could be affected by water scarcity within 15 years. Mozambique plans to reduce wheat imports by 20 percent over the next three years. Only 3,000 tons of wheat is produced in the country now although records dating back to colonial times show vast regions of Mozambique were once planted to the crop. Argentinian wheat fields resemble deserts as farmers there battle a severe drought. One of the world's major wheat exporters, the country's farm sector stands to lose $5 billion this year alone. 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.