| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Angelyn DeYoung |
| June 6, 2007 | (406) 444-3144 |
Taiwan Flour Millers Visit Montana during Goodwill Mission
HELENA, Mont. — Taiwan flour millers and government officials will visit Montana next week as part of an agricultural goodwill mission.
Five members of the Taiwan Flour Mills Association will be among the delegation, which will arrive in Helena on June 12, 2007. Accompanying the group will be officials from U.S. Wheat Associates and the Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in Seattle.
A joint communiqué will be signed by Governor Brian Schweitzer and members of the delegation at 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 13 in the Governor's Conference Room. A joint press conference also is scheduled at the meeting. U.S. Wheat Associates, the Montana Department of Agriculture and the Montana Wheat & Barley Committee are hosting the delegation.
The Taiwan delegation comes to Montana from Washington DC, where the group is expected to sign a letter of intent to purchase 1.7 million metric tons of wheat from the United States.
Montana annually exports an estimated 4 million to 6 million bushels of wheat to Taiwan. While it is hard to estimate exports, Taiwan is historically a major and valued customer of the types of wheat grown in Montana. Exact amounts are unknown because Montana wheat is combined with wheat produced in other states before loading onto ships bound for Taiwan and other Pacific Rim customers, says Montana Department of Agriculture Director Nancy K. Peterson.
While in Montana, the delegation will meet with wheat growers and industry officials and will enjoy a boat tour to the Gates of the Mountains portion of the Missouri River. The purpose of the Montana portion of the trip is to renew the long-standing friendships developed between the two countries over the years. Taiwan was the seventh largest foreign buyer of U.S. wheat last year, and its flour millers are among the most quality-conscious buyers in the world, says Kim Falcon, executive officer of the Montana Wheat & Barley Committee.
For more information about the visit, contact the Montana Department of Agriculture at (406) 444-2402, or by email at agr@mt.gov.
