Korean Wheat
Idaho wheat industry hosts Korean Crop Survey Trade Team
Three executives from major flour milling companies in South Korea traveled to Idaho July 23-25 as part of a trade delegation sponsored by U.S. Wheat Associates (USWA), the Idaho Wheat Commission (IWC), Montana Wheat and Barley Committee, and Oregon Wheat Commission to learn more about the quality, value and reliability of U.S. wheat imports. The team visited Ririe Grain & Feed Coop in Ririe, Thresher Artisan Wheat in Blackfoot, and the University of Idaho Research and Extension Center in Aberdeen. Additionally, the team toured the farms of Gordon Gallup and Clark Hamilton, both in Ririe, and visited with representatives from Lansing Trade Group in American Falls.
Korea is consistently among the top five destinations for U.S. wheat annually. In marketing year 2017/2018 (June 1 to May 31), South Korea imported 1.45 million metric tons (MMT) of wheat, or almost 59 million bushels, including soft white (SW), hard red spring (HRS), hard red winter (HRW) and soft red winter (SRW) wheat. The Korean wheat foods market is developing in a way that is like the U.S. market. End-product flour specifications in Korea are becoming more complicated because consumers demand quality and an increasingly wide range of products.
Market and trade development is one of the three-pronged mission of IWC. During visits by trade teams, IWC provides the latest harvest, quality and export price information about U.S. SW, HRS, and HRW wheat relative to Korean end-user preferences and demonstrates the factors that help ensure Korean buyers get the most value from U.S. wheat and the U.S. wheat supply system.
Team members included Mr. Bong-tai Ryu, Director, Hantop Corp.; Mr. Boong-hee Han, General Manager, Daehan Flour Mills Co., Ltd.; and Mr. Shin-hyoung Park, Sr. Specialist, CJ Cheiljedang Corp.
