06/28/06 Wheat industry supports PNTR for Vietnam

Farm and Ranch June 28, 2006 National U.S. wheat industry organizations are applauding the introduction of legislation granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations, PNTR, to Vietnam and they strongly urge Congress to move forward with a vote this summer. U.S. Wheat Associates, WETEC and the National Association of Wheat Growers, say granting PNTR would ensure that the U.S. reaps the trade benefits negotiated in Vietnam's WTO accession agreement. The wheat groups say with PNTR U.S. wheat producers would have greater market opportunities in the fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia. John Oades of U.S. Wheat Associates Portland office says there has been good interest in Vietnam in soft white wheat. Oades: "They are also of course are interested in hard red spring wheats particularly. Some interest in hard red winter. Our biggest challenge has been, well really two challenges. We need to be in very large vessel sizes to get the cost of freight down per unit going that way because it is a long distance to Vietnam and they are relatively close to Australia, which then is really our first concern. That is that they are really in Australia's back door so they have had some edge in there in terms of white wheat." Vietnam's wheat imports have doubled over the last ten years, to more than 1.2 million tons. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.