Sub-Saharan Africa team visits North Dakota
Posted: Jun 28 2019
Management level staff from major flour mills in Nigeria and South Africa, along with trading representatives that service much of south and west Africa were in North Dakota in June to learn more about hard red spring wheat (HRS) and durum. The team was a U.S. Wheat Associates sponsored marketing activity and the group was accompanied by Chad Weigand, Regional Assistant Director, USW Cape Town.
While U.S. market share in the Nigerian market has declined in recent years, it remains a top five wheat export market. The bulk of the wheat sales are winter wheat classes, but over the last five years the country has purchased on average just over 3 million bushels of HRS and 1.5 million bushels of durum. South Africa remains a small, more sporadic market for U.S. wheat, but there is potential for increased demand as demand for higher quality, higher value products slowly increases.
While in North Dakota the team attended lectures on the current spring wheat and durum situation, U.S. inland
transportation logistics, wheat quality, wheat breeding and market factors affecting wheat prices. They also had the opportunity to tour the Northern Crops Institute and a local farm and elevator.