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. Russia exported 11 million tons of wheat from July to December and 55 percent of those exports went to Egypt, once the Northwest’s primary recipient of soft white wheat. The Canadian Wheat Board managed to lose $90 million on commodity trades last year despite record prices. Apparently the wheat board took speculative positions on wheat that went massively against them. India, the world’s second largest wheat producer, is poised to export the grain for the first time in six years after bumper crops boosted stocks. India’s farm ministry estimated the country will produce nearly 78 million tons of wheat in 2009. The Filipino-Chinese Bakery Association reports the industry sustained heavy losses in the past six months, posting a 20 percent drop in the sale of bread. The imposition of a zero percent tariff on bread wheat, however, should stabilize local flour prices. Twenty-five bulldozers are being imported from China into the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan in a bid to level 200,000 acres of land, bring it into production, and generate ag employment opportunities. Meanwhile, the provincial minister for agriculture expressed concern over a shortage of urea fertilizer in the province, which could affect production of wheat, corn and vegetables. 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.