WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA — Senior milling industry representatives from five countries are attending the Latin America-Canada Milling Program at the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, CIGI said on April 30.

The five-day program that started April 30 will focus on technical demonstrations specific to Canadian wheat including grading, varietal research, marketing, milling and end-use processing, and includes some classroom instruction.

Eight participants representing mills and processing companies from Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela will attend this program.

“As the grain industry transitions to a new marketing environment in Western Canada, this program demonstrates Cigi’s commitment to continue delivering programs on behalf of farmers that position their crops in key markets,” said Earl Geddes, Cigi executive director.

The Latin America-Canada Milling Program is one of a number of programs approved earlier this year by two program advisory committees — one composed of seven farmers from Western Canada and the other made up of five grain marketers, formed by the Western Grain Elevators Association.

“This program targets companies that make up a significant share of the market of Canadian wheat and durum in the region and who have been customers for many years,” said Earl. “Cigi looks forward to continuing to provide customers such as these with the technical information they need on processing qualities.”

Participants will receive technical training on the use of CWRS and CWAD and how different grades can be optimized to the customer’s advantage. Discussions and hands-on sessions will focus on milling, baking, noodles, pasta and laboratory analysis.

In addition to attending sessions at Cigi, participants will also tour the Canadian Grain Commission and a primary elevator.