CIGI representatives are working with Chinese millers to use more Canadian grains to produce higher quality products
Canadian wheat is an ideal way to help Chinese consumers and food companies evolve, Canadian International Grains Institute officials have been saying on recent missions in the country.
High quality prairie wheat would allow Chinese companies to provide what the Chinese consumer of the future will demand.
“As the companies become more quality-oriented, much more discriminating, they are forced to look at other sources (than domestic Chinese grain) and we would like to be the one providing that,” said Esey Assefaw, CIGI’s head of Asian products and extrusion technology.
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China produces more than 100 million tonnes of wheat per year. However, while the crops have been OK for traditional Chinese cooking, baked products are becoming popular with the country’s growing middle class.
CIGI officials have been in China discussing with food company and research institute technicians how to blend high quality Canadian wheat with domestic grain.
During the most recent trip in early June, CIGI chief executive officer JoAnne Buth signed memorandums of understanding with the Chinese Academy of State Administration of Grain and the Henan University of Technology. The agreements are expected to increase the flow of CIGI staff and technical assistance to China to help millers and food processors work with Canadian grain and form and manage blends.
Many Chinese companies have never used Canadian grain, so familiarizing them with it and offering help with technical challenges is important, Buth said in a news release.
“Both of these memorandums will give us a greater opportunity to reach potential customers to showcase Canadian grain quality and uses in food products in the Chinese market,” said Buth.
Assefaw said Canadian grain has a good reputation but is still exotic to many Chinese processors. However, they know they’ll probably need to begin using it.
“Their (own) wheat was good enough for what they were doing, but as the market is getting more quality oriented, as time goes by, and they’re looking for quality types of wheat. (they will begin buying high quality foreign imports,)” said Assefaw.
ed.white@producer.com
