LARGE quantities of low protein wheat has forced Japan noodle wheat tenders to reduce minimum requirements for noodle wheat protein blends this year.
The cool wet winter, coupled with higher than average yields, saw protein levels drop across WA.
Across Australian ASW grade wheat is making up around 40 per cent of this year's crop, well up on historical averages.
Following discussions with WA grain industry representatives in December, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Japan (MAFF) confirmed that the noodle wheat tender would resume from this month with a revised minimum noodle wheat protein blend of 9.7pc, a decrease of 0.3pc from the previous minimum of 10pc.
APW1 will also be included as an allowable grade in the noodle wheat industry for this season only.
Grain Industry Association of WA (GIWA) Wheat Council chairman Dr Richard Williams said the tender variation was a positive outcome for the WA grain industry because it maintained continuity of supply into a valuable market.
GIWA placed the 2016-17 season total grain production at 18.16 million tonnes, with wheat making up 10.15mt.
Noodle wheat production is estimated to be 9pc of the total production.
According to a review by GIWA and the Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre into the WA noodle wheat industry released in September last year, Japan and Korea import about 1.7mt of wheat.
The review was completed following concerns about a decline in ANW production in recent years.
The review found that while the differentiated noodle wheat segment was well supported by the market, the agronomic and price benefit of growing ANW compared to APW and hard wheat varieties meant many growers were moving away from ANW.