Taiwan signs $576 million wheat deal with United States

BOISE – Taiwan has once again agreed to purchase a large share of U.S. wheat over the next two years, with most of it coming from Idaho, North Dakota and Montana.

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and Taiwanese milling industry officials signed the $576 million agreement Wednesday at the Idaho Capitol in Boise. That totals 1.8 million metric tons of U.S. wheat in 2018 and 2019 combined.

According to the Idaho Wheat Commission, Taiwan mostly buys Idaho’s soft white wheat to use in cookies, crackers and noodles. However, Taiwan has also been buying more of the state’s hard red wheat to use in bread.

This is the 11th time leaders with the Taiwan Flour Millers Association – which imports wheat on behalf of all 20 Taiwanese flour mills – have pledged to buy U.S. wheat.

The United States supplies more than 80 percent of Taiwan’s total wheat imports each year.