News Releases for April 2003
April 25, 2003
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Korean Flour Mills To Make Goodwill Mission April 30
North Dakota Values Relationship With Fifth Ranking Wheat Buyers
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven and the North Dakota Wheat Commission (NDWC) today announced that representatives of the Korean Flour Mills Industrial Association (KOFMIA) will visit North Dakota on April 30. The group comes as part of a mission to the United States to develop stronger relations between the private Korean mills and the U.S. wheat industry.
The KOFMIA representatives and North Dakota wheat industry representatives will meet with Hoeven, followed by a proclamation signing and press conference April 30 at 10:30 a.m. in the State Capitol's Memorial Hall. According to KOFMIA, the meeting and proclamation signing with Hoeven are the highlights of the goodwill mission.
"South Korea is an extremely significant market for North Dakota's wheat farmers," Hoeven said. "We appreciate this opportunity to build upon an already strong friendship."
The delegation will arrive in Portland, Ore., on Sunday, April 27, and will also be traveling to Montana and Washington, D.C.
The Korean milling industry association plans to purchase 7.7 million bushels of U.S. wheat during the goodwill mission. The purchase will add to the 47 million bushels already sold to South Korea in the 2002-03 marketing year, which has been enough to position the country as the fifth largest export market for U.S. wheat as a whole. With 14 million bushels of the purchases being hard red spring, South Korea is fifth among export destinations for this premium class of wheat.
"North Dakota farmers grow half of the U.S. hard red spring wheat crop, so we sincerely appreciate South Korea's consistency as a top customer," said NDWC Chairman Larry Lee, a Velva, N.D., farmer.
“The scheduled visit is a solid affirmation of strong relationships among the U.S. wheat and worldwide milling industries during difficult times," said Alan Lee, USW vice chairman of Berthold, N.D. “The trip exemplifies the deep friendship between the American wheat industry and KOFMIA,” he explained.
The U.S. wheat relationship with Korea has been long-standing. In 1945, there were only four flour mills in the south part of Korea, and they were completely destroyed during the Korean War. As mills were rebuilt in 1953-54, the U.S. government and wheat industry were there to help. The very first donation of wheat under Public Law 480 was to South Korea in 1956.
The South Korean market is now one of the most sophisticated in the world. U.S. farmers supply over 50 percent of its wheat import needs.
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