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 A farm leader in Argentina is warning that grain will be withheld to protest the government’s lack of action on the drought crisis gripping the nation. A tax on agricultural commodities along with the drought is expected to result in a $15 billion loss for farmers. Japan postponed a plan to make its wheat import system more flexible after flour millers and other users protested they are not in a position to risk more price fluctuations. A more flexible system will allow trading firms to negotiate directly with users to reflect their needs although bids would still be placed through the government. Officials of the Pakistan Ministry of Food and Agriculture said the wheat cultivation area in the country has risen 7 percent to 22 million acre. Despite a 50 percent shortfall in the availability of urea fertilizer, the federal minister for food and agriculture said Pakistan will meet its wheat production target of 25 million tons. Millions of quelea birds have invaded the wheat growing region of Kenya destroying wheat and worsening the fragile food security in the region. Making matters worse, elephants are straying onto farms and the government is preventing farmers from lighting bonfires to scare them away. 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.