BOISE -- Idaho wheat farmers are celebrating a new deal signed Friday with Taiwan. The country halfway across the world wants millions of bushels of Idaho wheat, worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Idaho wheat industry officials and Lt. Gov. Brad Little signed a two-year agreement with Taiwan Flour Mills Association.
"The places where Idaho's economy is doing well right now are in agriculture and trade, and both of them are right here today," said Little.
"The consumers of Taiwan are among the the pickiest in the world in terms of quality of flour," said Daniel T.C. Liao, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Seattle. "In order to have good quality flour you only use quality wheat. That's why we buy from here."
There was already a deal in place. But with this new deal, Idaho will be exporting even more wheat to Taiwan. It works out to be $200 million worth of that Idaho grain, and about an eighth of Idaho's total wheat production.
It's a big number that means a lot to wheat growers in the state like Bill Flory, who's also the vice chairman of the Idaho Wheat Commission.
"It's a great day for production agriculture in Idaho," said Flory. "We know that they have us in their sights and that we can count on their business."
But the deal also means a lot to everybody else in the state.
"Whether it's the restaurateur in Culdesac, or the tractor mechanic down in American Falls, those jobs all directly tie to this relationship," said Little.
"Wheat production in Idaho is in the top two commodities in Idaho," said Flory. "It provides a great, long-term solid baseline for economic activity around it."
Flory also said that since production continues to rise, Idaho growers can handle the increased demand from the deal, and still meet the needs of current customers. Also, the representatives from Taiwan say we could see an even bigger deal with Idaho wheat farmers in the future.
"That's a chunk of business," said Flory. "It got my attention, makes me happy."
Despite Idaho being famous for growing potatoes, wheat is big business in Idaho. There's about 5,000 farmers in the state who grow wheat. The Gem State ranks fifth for wheat exports in the U.S., producing about 100 million bushels per year.
