Miller Magazine Issue 108 / December 2018

28 MILLER / DECEMBER 2018 NEWS Sudan increased flour subsidies by 40 percent, the Fi- nance Ministry said, after the reduction of subsidies this year sent bread prices higher and triggered protests. The government would spend 35 million Sudanese pounds ($737,000) daily instead of 25 million, the statement ad- ded. A decision to reduce bread subsidies this year spar- ked rare nationwide protests after bread prices doubled. Inflation climbed to a record 66 percent in August, one of the hig- hest rates globally. Sudan’s economy has been stru- ggling since the south seceded in 2011, taking with it three quarters of oil output and depriving Khar- toum of a crucial source of foreign currency. Sudan sharply devalu- ed its currency in October after a group of banks and money changers was tasked with setting the country’s exchange rate under a new system established by the government to tackle an acute shorta- ge of foreign exchange. The crisis has deepened over the past year as a black market for U.S. dollars has effectively replaced the formal banking system after the Sudanese pound was devalued, making it more difficult to import essential supplies such as wheat. Sudan imported 2 million tons of wheat in 2017, the government said in December, compared with 445,000 tons produced locally. Pri- vate sector wheat traders, who were given responsibility for imports by the government at the start of this year, blamed the flour shortages on the foreign currency shortages. Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., an agricultural food ingredient company, and Ardent Mills, LLC North America’s leading flour-milling and ingre- dient company, announ- ced a collaboration to develop and commerci- alize innovative wheat varieties. The first project focuses on extending the shelf life and improving the flavor of whole wheat products.“For several years, we have been investing in this strategy. We see this trait as a big and important step forward that will be- nefit bakers, food manufacturers, the food service in- dustry, and ultimately consumers,” stated Ardent Mills CEO Dan Dye. Using patented Arcadia trait technology, the storage life of whole wheat flour can be extended by slowing the enzymatic processes that reduce shelf life. Because milled flour from wheat carrying Arcadia’s trait techno- logy oxidizes more slowly, it also minimizes the bitter- ness associated with most whole wheat products. This trait is expected to help improve the taste of whole wheat products and help reduce waste. The Extended Shelf Life wheat trait was developed using Arcadia’s proprietary non-GM wheat genetic diversity library, an extensive and exclusi- ve resource of trait lines with high-density varia- tions in genetic compo- sition and gene function. Because it is non-GM, the trait has wide applicati- on potential across both conventional and organic farming practices. The company recently recei- ved a U.S. patent for the technology, the latest in Arcadia’s portfolio of wheat trait improvements. “This new trait was developed through traditional breeding. While innovative thinking has brought it this far, furt- her collaboration will continue between Ardent Mills, Arcadia and university partners to bring this trait to commercial reality,” said Shrene White, General Mana- ger, The Annex by Ardent Mills. Ardent Mills is the premier flour-milling and ingre- dient company and employs more than 100 certified millers, supporting thousands of local jobs and contri- buting billions of dollars to local economies. Its opera- tions and services are supported by more than 40 flour mills and bakery-mix facilities along with a specialty bakery, Ardent Mills Innovation Center and Mobile In- novation Center, all located in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. Arcadia Biosciences and Ardent Mills announce collaboration Sudan raises flour subsidies by 40 percent to lower bread prices