National & World Ag News Headlines Japan's Wheat Imports May Climb USAgNet - 01/19/2010 Japan, Asia's biggest wheat buyer, may increase imports by almost 5 percent as flour millers boost inventories to compensate for the government's move to end the state stockpiling system in October. Millers may raise inventories to more than 2.3 months of consumption, or 1 million metric tons, from the current level of 15 days, said Masaaki Kadota, executive director at Japan's Flour Millers Association. The government will stop holding milling wheat stockpiles equal to 1.8 months of demand, or 780,000 tons, said Shirara Shiokawa, director at the grain trade division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The ministry, which controls overseas purchases and domestic sales, is reducing its role because of volatile markets and stricter food safety requirements. Higher inventories may boost costs for Nisshin Seifun Group Inc. and Nippon Flour Mills Co., and bolster Chicago futures. Japan imported 4.86 million tons of milling wheat in the year ended March 31 last year. Japan relies on imports for almost 60 percent of its food and is boosting spending to increase self-sufficiency by cutting other costs. The ministry’s food policy bureau, in charge of state trading for rice, wheat and barley, will be integrated into the agricultural production bureau in October. Send this article to a friend Other National Headlines Senate to Take Up Immigration Reform Measure USDA Offers Assistance to Tornado Victims Storms Cause Minor Harm to Plains Wheat Crop MGEX Breaks AJC Daily Options Volume Record American Agri-Women to Meet in Washington, D.C. Farming Practices to Minimize Ill Effects on Bees, Other Pollinators Hoeven: No-Cost Sugar Program Serves American People Copyright © 2013 - USAgNet.com. All Rights Reserved.