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HGCA News In Brief - Focusing on Exports

HGCA News in Brief: Focusing on Exports

Bread Baking with an International Twist 

Bread baking is how overseas millers will learn about the quality of the 2009 wheat crop next month.  Invited buyers from both established and emerging international markets will participate in a Bread Baking Workshop organised by British Cereal Exports (BCE), HGCA's export promotions arm.

The two day workshop, being held at Campden BRI on 18 and 19 February, will reinforce messages delivered through a programme of seminars and meetings in the UK's current and potential export countries recently.

BCE Mid-Season Highlights
British Cereals Export (BCE) has been busy promoting this season's crop to both current and potential overseas customers during the past few months.

Spain: Over 50 millers and trade contacts, responsible for purchasing Spain's 5 million tonnes of wheat imports this season, attended a recent BCE seminar in Madrid where the UK harvest results for 2009 were presented.

Portugal: Meetings with private millers highlighted their satisfaction with uks varieties but with a demand for 1 million tonnes per year, they expressed concerns over supply availability.

Sarah Mann, BCE manager, explains: "Growers who are planning to or who are already growing Group 3 and 4 varieties with uks status, especially within easy access to a port, should talk to their buyers about supplying for export. A crop that meets the quality specification could access this market."

Morocco: A further encouraging development for the team was the arrival of a 15,000 tonne shipment of ukp bread wheat from Immingham on the same day as BCE held a seminar for Moroccan millers in Casablanca.

Since the beginning of the season BCE has also held meetings in Cairo with the Ministry of Trade and state buying agency GASC, with the aim to try and open this lucrative 8 million tonne wheat market.  Private meetings have taken place in Holland as well, and BCE promoted UK cereals at the European Commodities Exchange back in October.

BCE will be building on this work through ongoing events, such as the Bread Baking Workshop and organising inward missions for international buyers to learn more about the industry.

For more information on the export markets and specifications visit www.hgca.com/exports

Facts on the export market

  • The UK has just over 2 million tonnes of wheat available for export this season
  • The majority of this will be bought by Spain, who imported nearly 1 million tonnes of UK wheat in 2008/9
  • Each year the UK exports wheat to over 40 countries worldwide

Release date: 19 January 2010

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