ISSUES with dockage in Australian noodle wheat (ANW) shipments have again been raised by the Japanese flour milling industry, prompting the Western Australian grain industry to remind growers that they are at the frontline of quality control.
The concerns were brought up by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and the Japan Flour Millers Association (JFMA) at a virtual forum hosted by the Grain Industry Association of WA (GIWA), Australian Export Grain Innovation Centre (AEGIC) and CBH Group recently.
GIWA wheat council chairman Peter Rees said dockage was not used in WA to measure the quality of wheat, but it was used in the United States.
"Australia has no equivalent tolerance in receival standards, but customer feedback around dockage appears to be comprised of issues with white heads, weed seeds and chaff," Mr Rees said.
"Japan reports that these have been on the increase in the past several years, especially as ANW supply has been limited in tight seasons, leaving little flexibility for quality management.
"We've had a number of years of feedback that for the most part Japan is a happy customer, but that dockage levels have been a little bit higher than they would like and that's something we're tackling as an industry on a couple of fronts at the moment."
The WA noodle wheat markets to Japan and Korea of about 1.9 million tonnes is worth about $650 million and is WA's premium customised high value wheat export market.
Japan has been happy with the new generation of ANW varieties such as Ninja, Kinsei and Zen produced in the past five to seven years, which were bred to replace Calingiri which Wheat Quality Australia is retiring from the classification system at the 2022 harvest.
Calingiri will still be deliverable into the feed stack in WA after the 2022 harvest.
AEGIC chief executive officer Richard Simonaitis said Japanese flour millers have high standards for the wheat they use to produce flour for udon noodles and were prepared to pay a premium for wheat that met their needs.
"Japan buys all of its wheat for udon noodles from WA, because our wheat is uniquely suited to this style of noodle," Mr Simonaitis said.
"Japan appreciates the commitment of Australia's noodle wheat industry to ensuring they remain satisfied.
"The ongoing success of this special relationship between WA and Japan is down to the fact that it is mutually beneficial and each partner is prepared to invest resources to ensure its success."
The perfect udon noodles should have a mouthfeel known as mochi mochi - a unique balance of softness and chewy firmness, combined with good elasticity and a slight stickness.
Udon noodles have a bright and creamy white colour which is stable, so that noodles made today will look the same tomorrow and WA noodle wheat meets these requirements.
Mr Rees said Japan and Korea were premium wheat markets, so it was important that the WA industry did what it could to supply a quality product.
"To help us in this aim we ask farmers who are harvesting now to do all they can to deliver noodle wheat that is as low in whiteheads and weed seeds as possible," Mr Rees said.
"Growers have told me that harvester set-up can play a significant role in the quality of the grain grower delivered.
"These actions will help protect this valuable market and show how responsive we as an industry can be to customer feedback."
Both Japan and Australia were positive about the high-trust grain industry dialogue moving smoothly to an on-line platform, with Japan also making use of AEGIC's new seasonal virtual crop inspections to track the WA noodle wheat crop's progress.
