MELBOURNE: Demand for wheat from Australia, the fourth-biggest shipper, is strong, said AWB – a supplier of quality Australian wheat to the world – as buyers from Europe to the Philippines battle for supplies amid prices near their highest level in more than two years. Importers are seeking milling wheat for bread and a lower-grade feed variety used to fatten livestock, said Mitch Morison, general manager commodities at Melbourne-based AWB Tuesday. Buyers are using feed wheat as an alternative to corn, he said. Governments from Beijing to Belgrade are raising imports, or releasing supply from state stockpiles to curb food inflation. “High corn values are encouraging feed grain customers to focus” on Australian wheat, Morison said. Saudi Arabia, the largest importer, is making enquiries, “which is supporting our market because Australia represents the only significant supply prior to the northern hemisphere new crop,” Morison said.
