WA Grains Group in Zhengzhou, Henan Province
MEMBERS of the WA Grains Group (WAGG) travelled to China last month in a bid to secure direct access to unique Chinese wheat markets.
According to WAGG chairman Doug Clarke, the trip was a huge success and provided an exclusive understanding into wheat end-users in China.
He said that what began as a step to bridge the gap between growers and end-users, transformed into an incredible opportunity to tap into new markets.
WAGG delegates were joined by technical staff from Murdoch University, that represent the Australian side of the Australia China Centre for Wheat Improvement, tasked with boosting research and innovation between the two nations.
While visiting flour mills in Beijing and ZhengZhou, the Australian delegation was told the majority of imported wheat was shipped from Canada and USA.
“Ten years ago they were sourcing as much as 30 per cent of their wheat from Australia,” Mr Clarke said.
He claimed that the reduction in quality and yellow colouring was responsible for a drop in the appeal of Australian wheat.
“They no longer source wheat from Australia as there is no information flow on quality or quantity, whereas this is freely available from USA and Canada and the quality is more uniform,” Mr Clarke said.
WA Grains Group 