Japan is set to to resume the purchase of US western white wheat, a development which will lift a two-month ban on the grain that was imposed after an unapproved genetically modified (GM) trait was discovered in a single field in Oregon, earlier this year.
The US Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) announced that Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) will soon resume tenders for new purchases of the US Western White and soft white wheat.
This announcement from Japan comes after a thorough, science-based review by MAFF of the ongoing APHIS investigation, as well as a sustained effort by the wheat industry and others to provide data required by the MAFF to buy the grade.
APHIS and MAFF have tested hundreds of samples of US wheat and found no evidence of any GM material in commercial supplies.
Japan has set a tender to buy 178,212 tons of wheat used for food through a regular weekly auction scheduled to be held on 1 August.