Japanese disaster adds more uncertainty to wheat exports

Local wheat farmers watched as yet another disaster befell a perennial customer.

Japan, the top world buyer of Washington state wheat, was devastated last week by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. Toll of the massive quake and tsunami waves, including its impact on nuclear plants, remained unknown four days later.

Randy Suess of Colfax, vice chair of U.S. Wheat Associates—the industry’s international marketer—said the Japan disaster adds yet more uncertainty to the uneasy global wheat export market.

Japan annually buys almost one million metric tons of Washington wheat, almost one-fifth of the nearl...