Photo credit: U.S. Wheat Associates.
A delegation of Taiwanese flour millers visited North Dakota, Montana and Oregon in mid-September to examine U.S. wheat production, quality and export systems. Organized by U.S. Wheat Associates (USW), the trade mission included visits to wheat farms, grain elevators, laboratories and export terminals.
Participants represented the Taiwan Flour Millers Association (TFMA), which purchases wheat for all 13 of Taiwan’s flour mills. Taiwan is a major buyer of U.S. hard red spring (HRS), hard red winter (HRW) and soft white (SW) wheat. Each class offers different quality characteristics that allow Taiwanese millers to produce flour for products ranging from noodles and bread to cookies and premixes.
U.S. wheat has maintained a substantial share of Taiwan’s market, averaging approximately 80% over the past decade and accounting for 78.2% in 2025.
The delegation began its tour in North Dakota, where participants visited North Dakota State University’s Spring Wheat Quality Lab and learned about the university’s spring wheat breeding program. Additional stops at the North Dakota Wheat Commission, Northern Crops Institute and a country elevator provided insight into crop quality, end-use performance and wheat transportation.
In Montana, the group continued examining wheat research, quality assurance and commercial handling operations. Visits included the Montana State Grain Laboratory and United Grain Corporation. At the Western Triangle Agricultural Research Center, participants observed a drone demonstration highlighting the use of emerging agricultural technologies.
According to USW Taiwan Country Director Yi-I Huang, who accompanied the delegation, participants were particularly interested in Montana producers’ adoption of new technologies and artificial intelligence to improve production practices and support sustainability.
The final portion of the trip took the delegation to Oregon, where participants toured Columbia Export Terminal and the Wheat Marketing Center in Portland. The group also traveled to eastern Oregon to visit a wheat farm and river terminal. These stops provided additional insight into SW wheat production and its role in Taiwan’s flour market, as well as the export infrastructure connecting U.S. wheat producers with customers across the Pacific.
The trade mission was supported by the North Dakota Wheat Commission, Montana Wheat & Barley Committee and Oregon Wheat Commission. The visits provided Taiwanese millers with firsthand knowledge of the production, research, quality assurance and transportation systems supporting the wheat classes they purchase.
Taiwan’s diverse wheat food market requires flour with a wide range of functional characteristics. Noodles, including instant noodles, account for 36% of the country’s wheat food consumption, followed by breads, buns and rolls at 27% and traditional Chinese wheat products at 18%. Cakes, pastries, biscuits and cookies generate additional demand for wheat with different quality characteristics.
USW said the trade mission helped strengthen relationships between Taiwanese millers and U.S. wheat producers while providing customers with a better understanding of the quality, functionality and supply systems behind the wheat they purchase.
Source: U.S. Wheat Associates, "Taiwan Millers Trace U.S. Wheat from Field to Export"