The grain market - Italy (2023)

1.1 Definition and presentation

The term "cereal" refers to all plants belonging to the grass family that produce "seeds or grains." In the world, 8700 species of cereals are grown, occupying 50% of the available arable land. The main categories of cereals are wheat, rice, barley, corn, oats, sorghum and rye. Cereals are very rich in carbohydrates and fiber, making them a good source of energy found in diets around the world. Generally, cereals are used in the production of bread pasta and flours but are also used in the production of alcoholic beverages such as beer.

As for the global market, global grain consumption in 2020 was 759.5 million tons and the market between the year 2021 and 2026 is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.1 %. The market during the pandemic due to trade restrictions experienced a sharp decline in the short term.

In Italy, the cereal that is produced the most is corn, followed by durum wheat, soft wheat, and barley. In fact, in 2020, 6,845,000 tons of corn, 3,997,000 tons of durum wheat, 2,687,000 tons of soft wheat and 1,099,000 tons of barley were produced in Italy.As for exports, the favorite cereal in 2020 is again corn while the least favorite is durum wheat.

In Italy, the market trend is a sharp increase in prices (+27.8 % compared to the year 2020). This trend is due to the restrictions due to Covid-19 that have made grain production and transportation more difficult. In Italy, cereal farms are usually small/medium-sized family farms. Within the grain market, more and more people are inclined to buy BIO grains.