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Taiwan commits to purchase U.S. wheat
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 24, 2009— The Taiwan Flour
Mills Association today signed a letter of intent with U.S. Wheat Associates (USW)
to purchase a total of 1.7 million metric tons (MMT), equivalent to 62.5 million
bushels, of U.S. wheat during 2010 and 2011. The letter of intent was signed by
Mr. Shao-Fu Hung, executive director, Taiwan Flour Mills Association, and USW
President Alan Tracy during a ceremony on Capitol Hill. Over the past five
years, Taiwan has purchased an average of 34.9 million bushels of U.S. wheat
every year — making the U.S. its primary wheat supplier.
“Today, we sign three
letters of intent to purchase an estimated $3.5 billion of U.S. wheat, corn, and
soybeans over the next two years,” said Dr. Paul M. H. Sun, who is leading the
Taiwan Agricultural Trade Goodwill Mission to the U.S. “We share a love of
American food products, its culture and its values. Trade between our countries
benefits your farmers and our consumers. We hope our commitment leads to the
next logical phase — a free trade agreement that has the potential to increase
U.S. agricultural exports to Taiwan by 16 percent.”
“We are honored by
Taiwan’s commitment to our wheat producers,” said Alan Tracy at the ceremony.
“Underlying our strong relationship with the people of Taiwan is the fact that
our legacy organizations opened the first U.S. wheat trade office in Taipei in
1957, so we thank you for your business, but more importantly for your
friendship, over all these years.”
Mr. Hung is leading an
seven-person flour miller delegation, including USW Country Director Ronald Lu,
that is now traveling to Kansas, North Dakota, Montana, and California to meet
with wheat commissions and state government representatives as part of the
Goodwill Mission.
U.S. Wheat Associates is the industry’s market development organization working
in more than 100 countries on behalf of America's wheat producers. The
activities of U.S. Wheat Associates are made possible by producer checkoff
dollars managed by 18 state wheat commissions and through cost-share funding
provided by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. For more information, visit
www.uswheat.org
or contact your state wheat commission.
Click here (http://bit.ly/1aow0W)
to download high resolution photographs from the signing ceremony. Please
contact your state wheat commission for additional information about the Taiwan
Wheat Delegation visits in Kansas, North Dakota, Montana, and California.
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