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 The Yemen wheat trade team examines containers of dough at Gerards Bakery in Longmont. Gary Hoerner, left, is the Vice President of Operations at the bakery. Yemen wheat importers visit ColoradoColorado A trade team of wheat importers from Yemen arrived in Colorado in early June to visit Tom Niera's wheat farm near Bennett, tour the Cargill unit train loading facility at Byers, observe production of various bread products using Colorado hard red winter wheat at Gerards Bakery in Longmont, and tour the ConAgra Flour Milling Company. Dan Anderson, Colorado Wheat Administrative Committee past president, Haxtun, said "The trade team is able to learn the entire production and marketing system, and see how Colorado wheat goes from the farm field to the table. From the farmer, to the shipper, to learning how the market works, to the export channel and how the wheat ends up at their docks; they are able to see the entire picture on these trade team visits." Anderson also said the visit helps the importers learn about new high quality varieties. "They can see the new varieties of wheat that are available, and see the improvement in milling and baking quality developed in new Colorado wheat varieties such as Hatcher and Ripper. This is important since 80 percent of Colorado wheat is exported." The population of Yemen, a country of about 22 million, is shifting from buying wheat and grinding it at home to buying flour. Trade team tours like these directly expose the importers to the American wheat farming community, increase confidence in the U.S. as a reliable supplier of the quality of wheat the Yemeni market is willing to pay for, and give a positive image for the U.S. in the Yemeni market. It also helps the Yemenis to understand the U.S. grading and marketing system and the logistics of moving grain in the U.S. The fact finding tour was sponsored by U.S. Wheat Associates, of which CWAC is a member, and the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. USWA and FAS believe that Yemen could play a key role in trade expansion into East African markets through existing transshipment facilities now in Yemen ports. During the recently completed 2007-2008 marketing year that ended on May 31, Yemen was the eleventh largest buyer of U.S. wheat with imports of 999.6 million metric tons (36.7 million bushels). The trade team consisted of Nasher Hashem Al-Aghbari, general manager, Yemen International Food Industry Company; Abdul Hameed Ahmed Saeed Al-Soufi, assistant general manager, Yemen Economic Corporation; Tawfik Mohamed Ali-Qershi, Communications Affairs manager, Yemen Economic Corporation; Ali Mohammed Farea Ahmed, Hodiedah Branch Manager, Al Saeed Trading Company; and Hassan Abdel-Ghaffar, Regional Marketing Director, USWA/Cairo. They were joined on the tour by CWAC Past President Dan Anderson, Haxtun, President Richard Starkebaum, Haxtun, and Vice President Randy Wilks, Burlington. 6/30/08 Date: 6/25/08
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