Port Leaders Welcome Wheat Purchasing Team from Taiwan, June 13, 2017, POL

June 22, 2017

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]International visitors illustrate how the river system keeps wheat farmers competitive in global economy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2017

CONTACT: 
David Doeringsfeld, Port of Lewiston Manager
(208) 743-5531
[email protected]

(Lewiston, ID) – Four wheat purchasing managers from leading flour mills in Taiwan will be in Idaho June 15-18, 2017, to learn more about the quality, value and reliability of Idaho’s 2017 wheat crop.

On Friday, June 16, the team will tour Bill Flory Farms in Culdesac from 9:00-10:30 a.m. and Lewis-Clark Terminal and the Port of Lewiston dock beginning at 11:30 a.m. The team will attend the Shrine Circus at Lewiston High School Football Field at 7 p.m.

The wheat purchasing team from Taiwan is the first of five wheat-buying teams making visits to Lewiston this summer.

“The Port of Lewiston welcomes the team from Taiwan and looks forward to visits from other international teams,” said Port of Lewiston President Mike Thomason. “These visits clearly demonstrate what the river system means to wheat farmers, their global competitiveness and the local economy.”

The Columbia-Snake River System is the No. 1 wheat export gateway in the U.S. Last year, nearly 10 percent of all U.S. wheat exports moved through Lewiston and the Snake River dams.

“Barging on the river is the most efficient and cost-effective method for our region’s farmers to export wheat,” said Port of Lewiston Commissioner Jerry Klemm. “Without river shipping, farmers would see the cost to export wheat increase significantly, meaning far less revenue for local economies.”

Taiwan is on average the sixth largest market for U.S. wheat. In each of the past two marketing years, Taiwan’s flour millers purchased about 1.0 million metric tons (MMT) of U.S. wheat, equal to 36.8 million bushels.

Media professionals interested in attending part or all of the tour can contact Tereasa Waterman of the Idaho Wheat Commission at (208) 334-2353 or [email protected].

To learn more about the tour and the wheat purchasing team from Taiwan, please see the attached press release from the Idaho Wheat Commission.

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