Total wheat exports to the Persian Gulf are 1.7 million tonnes, with the demand expected to grow in coming years. Australia enjoys the lion's share of that demand, followed by Canada and then the United States. Al Ghurair said Canada needs to build on the stability of its wheat quality characteristics. Canada's wheat is cleaner, he said, and the flour milled from that wheat has good baking traits. Also, the Persian Gulf region favors white wheat, something Australia is capable of supplying.
White wheat can allow more flour extraction without having the flour's color darkened by the bran.
Al Ghurair encouraged Canadian farmers to think about growing more white wheat varieties. That could include Canadian Prairie Spring wheats as well as New Canadian Western Spring wheats, he said. In an interview, Ramzy Yelda, a CWB marketing manager, said there has been an explosion in the flour milling capacity of the Persian Gulf. The importers include the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Quatar. Saudi Arabia is self-sufficient in wheat.