Japan may increase wheat imports by six percent

Japan, Asia's biggest wheat buyer, may increase imports by six percent after a wet and cool weather reduced production by as much as one third, according to the Flour Millers Association.

Japan may lose as much as 300,000 tonnes of wheat crops, said Kadota Masaaki, executive director of the association.

Japan plans to import 4.91 million tonnes of milling wheat in the year to March 31, based on suppliers from farmers of 830,000 tonnes, the Agriculture Ministry said in March.

The Ministry has not revised its forecast. 

Millers in Japan prefer wheat from the US and Australia because the domestic crop is used mostly to make food stuff, said Kadota.

He said they need to increase wheat purchases from the US and Australia to cover the loss.