USA: Idaho Barley Commission hosts Japanese feed and food barley trade team in Lewiston area on August 3-5

The Idaho Barley Commission announced July 20 it will host a seven-member feed and food barley trade team from Japan in the Lewiston and Genesee area on August 3-5.

The purpose of the trade team visit is to provide participants with an overview of Idaho and U.S. feed and food barley production in 2006, including varieties, quality, and IP handling systems on Idaho farms and local commercial grain elevators. The team will visit Commissioner Dan Mader’s farm in Genesee, as well as grain handling and barge loading facilities operated by Primeland Cooperatives and Columbia Grain.

“We are excited to have representatives from our largest export market visit northern Idaho and see first-hand our excellent quality barley crop,” said Dan Mader, barley producer from Genesee and chairman of the Idaho Barley Commission. Mader will host the team for a relaxing dinner at his farm on August 4. The team also will enjoy a Hells Canyon jet boat trip during their visit to Idaho.

According to Mader, Japan is the largest export customer for US barley, buying more than 174 TMT from the US in MY 2005-06, down from 285 TMT the year before because of a smaller U.S. crop. Mader notes that “Japan has taken additional steps to liberalize their feed barley imports, which has worked to the favor of US suppliers. The Japanese Government has increased the portion of feed barley imports under their liberalized Simultaneous Buy Sell import system to 1.1 MMT this year, which should cover 100 percent of their feed barley imports. This represents an increase of 100 TMT from last year.”

The Japanese barley trade team is being co-hosted by the Idaho Barley Commission, Washington Barley Commission and the US Grains Council, a non-profit partnership of US barley, corn and sorghum producers and agribusinesses committed to building international markets for US grains. The Council is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and has 10 international offices that oversee programs in nearly 80 countries. The Idaho Barley Commission has been a member of the US Grains Council since inception in 1988.

21 July, 2006