Description

Durum wheat is a very hard wheat variety that produces high semolina yields. The durum wheat milling system has been upgraded to allow the grain to be milled in stages to maximize semolina production and minimize flour production. The washed semolina collected from the card factory is sorted, graded, and washed repeatedly to ensure a uniform classification and to remove adhering bran. Durum mills are easily identifiable among the numerous mills, as most semolina is obtained from sizing machines. The traditional grain size of durum wheat semolina tends to be coarser than the grain sizes used by today's pasta processors. Durum wheat is mainly associated with the production of pasta, but a very high percentage of durum wheat is used in the production of couscous, a popular food in North Africa. A large portion of durum wheat is also used in bread making, including both flatbreads and hearthbreads. In Brazil, net importers of wheat exported 2.2 million tonnes of wheat, more than four times as many as in the same period last year. This is despite bad weather in southern Brazil (made worse by La Niña), where 90% of Brazil's wheat is grown. The export boom is mainly driven by the market. Drought hit North America and Europe last year, destroying much of the crop. Brazilian farmers who have been able to switch from other crops such as corn and soybeans (wheat takes about 120 days to grow and harvest) are doing well. And thanks to Brazil's low currency, the real, the country's wheat is among the cheapest on the world market. This makes it an attractive proposition for importers. For example, in the first quarter of 2022, the volume of Brazilian wheat sales to Arab countries increased by 438% compared to the same period last year.