January imports of U.S. wheat rebounded 4.8% to 154,929 tons compared to January of 2021, but that's still 38% lower than the same month two years ago. Market observers downplayed pandemic-related trade disruptions as a cause for the import drop but other factors such as a big wheat crop in Japan and less eating out in restaurants caused by the pandemic are among the factors causing less overall demand for imported wheat. U.S. wheat exporters are meeting all tenders without any disruptions. Even though there was a short U.S. soft white wheat crop last year, Japan’s imports of that class are tracking closely to the average pace, Mercer said.