WORLD SCENARIO OF WHEAT

Wheat Production consumption and Import scenario

Wheat is a cereal grain that belongs to the grass family of the genus ‘Triticum’. A dry, one seeded fruit named kernel is obtained from this spiky grass like grain, which is ground to make flour and is consumed throughout the world as one of the most important staple food. It is the second largest cereal grain consumed on earth and that is why it is widely cultivated in more than 30000 varieties.

Wheat is important especially for making breads and other bakery products as it has got the maximum number of glutens as compared to any other grain. This crop is also grown as a forage crop for the livestock. 

Wheat is a very important edible cereal grain crop. As already mentioned, it is the second largest grain crop consumed after rice. The cultivation of wheat has its own advantages like it has a very good yield per unit area, has a relatively short growing duration period and the production of wheat is comparatively easier than the other grain crops as it grows well in the temperate regions. That is why it serves as a very good cash crop and proves its dominance in the world commerce. Gluten, which is a primary constituent in raised bread, is found in wheat and that is why most of the bakery products are made from wheat only.

The world production of wheat figures over 585 million tons annually. The largest producer of wheat in the world is the European Union followed by China, India and United States of America. The total wheat production of the world is slightly concentrated is clear from the fact that these four producers contribute to around 60% of the total production. The consumption of wheat in the world is a huge 580 million tons but is successfully kept satisfied with an equally high production figures. Consumption has been constantly increasing during the last 10 years with the increase in population, and alarmingly, the consumption is prepared to shoot up further and is expected to reach up to 775 million tons in 2020. Wheat is consumed all through the globe and the leading countries in this list are

• European Union
• China
• India
• Russia
• United States of America
• Pakistan

The above list makes it clear that the largest producers of wheat in the world are also the largest consumers of the world, which means, most of the wheat production is consumed at the place of production. The export market of wheat is getting competitive with the new entrants like India into it and the export figures hover around 200 million tons. The major exporting countries of this crop are: -

• United States of America
• Australia
• Canada
• European Union
• Argentina

The imports of wheat are done by the countries, which have a high domestic demand and a fluctuating production level. That is why the countries shuffle in the list of highest wheat importing countries. The world import figures sum up to 100 million tons and are currently done by more than 100 countries. The major countries are

• European Union
• China
• Egypt
• Japan
• Brazil
• Mexico
• Indonesia
• Algeria
• Philippines
• Iraq