UK wheat has been sold against the uks export brand for the first time, with a shipment of grain received in Morocco.

"I am very pleased with the uks wheat. I got what I wanted and what the brand said I would get. I will do it again," said Mostafa Hamdi from Les Grands Moulins Fassis, who bought the wheat through an importing group called Millex in Morroco. "The brands make it easier for me to understand the qualities of wheat available from the UK."

"We have been working with the Moroccans for some time to persuade them of the quality of UK wheat," said Emma Jackson, HGCA's exports manager. "We are very pleased that they have bought against the export brand, which was introduced to make it easier for our customers to understand the product that we have on offer."

The export brands ukp and uks were launched in November 2004.  Any wheat sold under the brand has to comply with strict quality regulations so the customer can be sure that they will receive a consistent product.

"Mostafa Hamdi attended the HGCA bread baking workshop and commercial inward mission both held in the UK earlier this year which helped to convince him that the UK can offer more than feed wheat," said Emma Jackson. "Many potential North African customers are unaware of the milling wheats that the UK can offer which suit their requirements."

"Having helped to establish the export brands with HGCA and the industry, we are delighted that we are beginning to see them work in actual sales," said Mike Adams, Export Director at Frontier, who supplied Frontier's shareholder Cargill with the grain that went to Morocco. "We have noticed a steady increase in enquiries referring to UK wheat by brand."

HGCA is currently working with several North African countries to expand the possibilities of exporting UK wheat. These include Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.

Release date: 2 December 2005

For further information contact

Madeleine Archer, HGCA Press Officer, 020 7520 3926 madeleine.archer@hgca.com