Even to a numbers and details man like Bert Sukhai, the documents that come with international grain shipments can be daunting.
So he was delighted to be in Winnipeg for a few days to see the inner workings of the Canadian grain system and understand what each specification means.
“You look at these certificates that come with each shipment and sometimes you can’t put it all together,” said Sukhai, managing director of a Guyanese flour milling company that buys Canadian wheat.
An interview with Sukhai and a Singaporean flour milling executive revealed that the careful documentation that accompanies Canadian grain is a key marketing advantage. The accuracy of those documents keeps Canada as a preferred source of quality grain.
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“You do a good job of making sure each class is really checked,” said Kay Kong Lim of Singapore’s Prima Ltd., which buys about one million tonnes of Canadian grain per year.
“This is actually your strength, by being up front and level with your customer.”
Lim said there are quality and processing differences among Canadian, Australian and American wheat. But all three countries provide good wheat.
“Each country has its own intrinsic qualities,” said Lim.
The real difference comes when grain from nontraditional exporters is compared to long-time sources. Not only does the quality vary more widely, but millers often can’t trust quality claims, Lim said. Some countries will not use tight standards when declaring certain grain to be Nos. 1, 2 or 3, but instead declare certain percentages of their national crop to be in each category.
When Lim buys Canadian wheat, he knows almost exactly what he’s getting.
“The system is neutral and fair to the customer,” said Lim.
If companies know in advance that they will receive a lower quality product because of a poor harvest, they can refine their milling equipment in advance, avoiding surprises when the grain hits the mill.
Sukhai said honesty and consistent quality are what have impressed him about Canadian wheat, which he now prefers to American wheat.
“Quality. Much better quality,” he said.
His company bought no Canadian wheat until recently. Guyana is on the northern coast of South America, which makes it close to the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast and the export channel of the Mississippi. When hurricane Katrina temporarily cut that export source, his employer, the National Milling Co., turned to Canadian wheat.
“Since then we’ve decided to stick to it,” said Sukhai.
More than 40 international milling officials were in the educational program at the Canadian International Grains Institute that Sukhai and Lim attended. The institute’s programming director, Len Seguin, said the Canadian grain industry is trying to solidify its quality reputation by showing customers how carefully the system safeguards standards.
“The opportunity to meet these international folks and bring them here and let them have a real hard look at the Canadian system serves us very, very well,” said Seguin.
