Export demand for attributes of Australian wheat in Asia and the Middle East

Quality attributes of Australian wheat as demanded in the major Asian and Middle East markets are analyzed. The study employs an hedonic price function and a data sample from the Australian Wheat Board commercial contracts from 1984 to 1991, It is found that Japan is relatively quality conscious, while China and the Middle East markets pay little premium for quality. The sample is further divided into two separate time periods for testing the consistency in export demand for attributes and determining recent trends in premiums/discounts. There appears to have been a drop in the reward for quality in these markets since 1987, which may in part be explained by the US-EC wheat price war, The implications of the results for the Australian wheat economy are explored, (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.