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America's biggest export market for wheat next year is a country most of us might not think of. Yet one country is set to buy 3.8 million tonnes of US wheat next year. Rising consumption and new mills make Nigeria, with 132 million inhabitants the most populous country in Africa, a growth market for wheat.
According to Michael David, agriculture specialist at the US consulate in Lagos, Nigeria's wheat imports will come to 4.3 million tonnes in 2006/2007, up from 3.8 million in 2005/2006. The US' 3.8 million tonnes share is up from 3.3 million tonnes
"Wheat imports are increasing due to increased consumption of bread, pasta, biscuit products and informal cross-border exports," he wrote in a report on the country's trade. "Since 1995, per capita wheat consumption in Nigeria has more than tripled from six kilograms to 20 kilograms in 2005."