Bangladesh is fast becoming one of Canada’s major export customers for wheat and could be seen as a sign of further demand from formerly non-routine customers, reported “Kazakh-Zerno” NA with reference to the “Meat Trade News Daily“.
According to the latest Canadian Grain Commission data for May, Canada has exported 873,300 tonnes of wheat during the 2009-10 crop year to date, making the country second only to Iraq as an export destination.
Canadian wheat sales to Bangladesh have increased considerably over the past couple of years, with the 10-year average prior to 2008-09 coming in at roughly 180,000 tonnes.
Canadian Wheat Board spokesman John Lyons said an increase in personal wealth in Bangladesh was causing customers in the country to shift from rice toward wheat, accounting for some of the demand.
Bangladesh, he said, generally buys medium-quality wheat for use in making flat breads, but the country is also starting to purchase higher protein wheat for making loaf-style breads.
The country was also encouraged to broaden its wheat-sourcing horizons following a drought in Australia a few years ago, he said.
The CWB is actively working in Bangladesh to show customers in the country how to get the best out of the wheat, said Lyons.
Bangladesh isn’t the only non-traditional market where the CWB is seeing an increase in demand.
Lyons said improving economic conditions were also leading to large increases in demand from other customers, including Indonesia and Sri Lanka, although the gains have been over a longer period of time compared to the increases in Bangladesh.
