Delegates from countries with a total potential wheat export market of 28m tonnes were given a hands-on demonstration of the versatility of British wheats at this month’s International Bread Baking Workshop, organised by British Cereal Exports (BCE).
Baking and milling experts joined guests from Algeria, Egypt, Holland, Portugal, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia at Campden BRI to bake their national breads, using different blends of UK wheat, which are marketed under the brands ukp for bread wheat and uks for soft wheat.
UK traders and plant breeders also attended the event. Breeder Simon Howells said: “The key for me is to look at producing more varieties to improve the quality of wheats within the brands and increase exports as the end-users develop more confidence.”
BCE manager Sarah Mann added: “This event shows there is clearly a market demand for the ukp and uks brands, and that we are able to meet customer requirements. Farmers with easy access to a port should talk to their buyers about specifically growing for the export market, as good marketing opportunities are out there.”
BCE has also launched a new web-based ‘one-stop shop’ for potential overseas customers. The multilingual site at www.hgca.com/exportsharvest carries the latest crop quality data together with information on the technical specification and end uses of the ukp and uks brands and a list of potential export contacts for interested buyers.
Around 3m tonnes of wheat and barley are exported each year to over 40 countries.
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