January 15, 2004

First US Corn Shipment To Iraq

The United States shipped 32 million metric tons of corn to Iraq this week, the National Corn Growers Association announced.

Doug Boisen, chairman of the NCGA and U.S. Grains Council Joint Trade Policy A-Team, said in a news release: "This shipment represents an excellent first start at rebuilding the economy of Iraq, and I hope it is the beginning of many more corn sales."

Hayden Milberg, a trade specialist for NCGA, said the U.S. sold 413,481 tons of corn to Iraq in 1990, the last year before embargo started in 1991. Milberg also said at that time Iraq's livestock industry was better developed and that it would take some time before the country gets back to that level.