04/06/06 Pakistan officials visit wheat industry

Farm and Ranch April 6, 2006 The Pacific Northwest is on the itinerary of a team of high ranking Pakistani officials who are in the United States at the invitation of U.S. Wheat Associates. The team is led by the chairman of Pakistan's government agency responsible public sector wheat purchases. Glen Squires, vice president of the Washington Wheat Commission, says Pakistan's purchases in the 1990's made it the largest export market for PNW soft white wheat in seven out of eight years. Squires: "They purchased between one and almost two and a half million tons of white wheat. (annually) Since that time, since about 1997, their production has increased to the point where they have not been such a large buyer. Although they do still import wheat." But Pakistan's rank as a soft white wheat export market last year was 7th and the 99-thousand tons its purchased so far this year puts it in 10th place. Asif Zama Ansari, who is chairman of the Trading Corporation of Pakistan, is relatively new on the job. Mr. Ansari says he has already learned a lot from meetings at the USDA about how Pakistan's tender specifications tend operate to the disadvantage of the United States and he will look into the issue when the team returns home. In addition to visiting Washington D.C. the team went to Kansas City and will be making stops in Spokane, Lewiston and Portland. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.