During this period, the U.S. trade surplus in milled grains, malt, and starches climbed from $317 million in 1992 to a high of $340 million in 1995 before declining to $250 million in 1996, according to the report.

The ITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding agency, recently released the report as part of an ongoing series of reports on the thousands of products imported into and exported from the United States. Following are the other highlights from the report.

• U.S. shipments of milled grains, malt, and starches exceeded $9 billion during 1992-96. Domestic wheat millers significantly increased their processing capacity to meet a rising demand for wheat flour and other wheat products during this period. The U.S. industry employed 27,000 persons.

• U.S. imports of these products doubled during 1992-96 to $170 million, mostly because of increased imports from Canada, the source of over half of U.S. grain imports. During this period, imports supplied less than one percent of U.S. domestic grain consumption.

• U.S. exports of these products amounted to $425 million in 1996, down from a peak of $491 million in 1995. U.S. exports of wheat flour fell sharply in 1996 as U.S. Government export assistance was reduced and flour produced by the European Union and other foreign producers displaced U.S. sales abroad. However, the 1996 U.S. export total for these products was still 9 percent above the 1992 export figure of $387 million.

• U.S. domestic use of wheat flour grew about 2 percent annually during 1992-96 as U.S. consumers turned to grain-based foods, notably pasta, bagels, buns, and new and different types of breads, largely because of dietary changes. In 1996, the average U.S. consumption per capita was 149 pounds of wheat flour, a post-World War II record, and an increase of 10 pounds above the 1992 level.

The foregoing information is from the ITC report Industry and Trade Summary: Milled Grains, Malts, and Starches (USITC publication 3095, March 1998).

ITC Industry and Trade Summary reports include information on product uses, U.S. and foreign producers, and customs treatment of the products being studied. They analyze the basic factors affecting trends in consumption, production, and trade of the commodities. As well as factors bearing on the competitiveness of the U.S. industry in domestic and foreign markets.

This report will be available on the ITC's Internet server (www.usitc.gov). A printed copy may be requested by calling 202-205-1809 or by writing the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20436. Requests may be faxed to 202-205-2104.