A delegation of Indonesian bakers and noodle makers have a better understanding of the quality and value of Australian wheat, and how AEGIC helps ensure our wheat meets their needs, following an educational tour organised by Bogasari Flour Mills in May.
The 5-day tour was hosted by CBH Group, and included a day with AEGIC to visit our noodle, baking and mill labs.
The group learned about Australia’s wheat industry, AEGIC’s role, and how we work with Grains Australia to deliver its market insights and education services.
Of course, the highlight is always getting hands-on in the labs.
In our baking lab, the visitors were treated to a smorgasbord of Australian-style bread, Asian sweet buns, sponge cakes and cookies., and were taken through the process of how we make bread from start to finish – starting with a nice dough made from Australian Hard (AH) wheat, which the visitors enjoyed assessing by hand.
In the noodle lab, the visitors were interested to learn more about the versatility of Australian wheat for various noodle types in South East Asia. Unsurprisingly, they preferred Australian white wheat to red wheat, which is grown by Australia’s main wheat exporting competitors. Australian wheat is favoured in Indonesia for its excellent colour and colour stability.
We also took the delegation to visit a local Bakers Delight to learn more about Australian commercial baking processes and how they differ from Indonesian-style baking.
Indonesia is a major market for Australian wheat. In 2023, Indonesia imported about 4.3mmt of Australian wheat worth nearly $2 billion (source: ABS).
AEGIC regularly provides technical support and information exchange to Indonesian customers to help them optimise the value of Australian grain and understand their quality needs to maintain Australia’s position as a preferred wheat supplier.
AEGIC is an initiative of the Western Australian State Government and Grains Australia.