Wheat in a COVID Market Pt 2
I’m Bob Larson. Washington wheat growers are looking at volatile markets during this worldwide pandemic, as harvest season hits its beginning stages.I asked Washington Association of Wheat Growers Executive Director, Michelle Hennings if there are any bright spots, like enactment of the US-Mexico-Canada-Agreement? …
HENNINGS-8 = 19 … “You know, that’s great! We were really big advocates of passing USMCA basically because it’s a stepping stone for all of our other trade agreements. It also shows that, you know, we can actually negotiate with other countries and in a positive manner. So, USMCA is a big positive.”
But, Hennings says a vast majority of our wheat is put on ships and sent across the Pacific …
HENNINGS-9 = 29 … “For us, Philippines and Japan are our top markets, though we’re more about the Japanese Bilateral Agreement and also the Philippines is a top buyer as well. So, we’re worried, you know, how COVID’s going to be affecting these countries and how their demand for our wheat is going to, you know, what’s going to happen there. We want to make sure that we don’t see any type of fluctuation from those countries in the Pacific Northwest.”
Hennings says there have been a few minor shipping delays caused by the coronavirus, but things have run pretty close to normal so far.
Tune in tomorrow for more on Washington’s wheat markets and other pandemic challenges they face moving forward.