In the new season-2019/20, the EU countries will have to increase the imports of durum wheat by 45% y-o-y, to 1.9 mln tonnes, reported the Senior Analyst at Areté Research and Consulting, Filippo Bertuzzi, during his report within frames of the international conference "KazakhGrainExport 2019" in Istanbul, on September 19.
Due to reduction of the planted areas in the EU in 2019 to the lowest level for 6 recent years (to 2.26 mln tonnes, according to estimations of Areté Research and Consulting), and in terms of the low yield of durum wheat (down 10% y-o-y), the EU countries will increase the grain imports, in order to ensure the domestic consumption to the extent required, the expert said.
According to him, Italy is the main importer of durum wheat in the EU, and can increase the grain imports by 41% y-o-y to 1.6 mln tonnes. At the same time, in 2019/20 MY there can be applied additional requirements for the supply of durum in the EU. Namely, the requirements will concern the qualitative characteristics (using of glyphosate in wheat cultivation), and labeling on the finished product of the country of origin of raw materials.
Also, F.Bertuzzi noted the main characteristics of the durum market in Kazakhstan, which is one of the key countries-suppliers of the grain to the EU. It is interesting to note that despite reduction of the forecast of durum production in the country in 2019 by 12% y-o-y (to 0.6 mln tonnes), durum wheat exports will increase by 6% to 0.6 mln tonnes, at the expense of the high carry-over stocks (up 124%).