Italian farmers complain about a sharp drop in durum wheat prices in the country due to uncontrolled imports

The Italian Durum Wheat Producers Association calls the wheat prices currently being offered to farmers speculation.

The country's agro-industrial portal Coldiretti reported on the catastrophic drop in prices for durum wheat in Italy in 2025: "in August, Italian farmers were offered €20/t less for wheat than last year, although its harvest is below average."

The Foggia Provincial Stock Exchange ISMEA confirmed the forecasts made by the agricultural consortia C Coldiretti and CAI at the beginning of the harvest, in which the country's durum wheat harvest was estimated at 3.7 million tons, significantly lower than the optimistic estimates of industrialists.

In the province of Foggia, which is the country's leader in cereal acreage and produces 20% of the country's durum wheat, wheat production this year will be 20% lower than usual due to drought.

Despite the poor harvest, durum wheat prices in July fell by 6% compared to the same period last year, and by 15% compared to February 2025, according to ISMEA, which is a benchmark for grain prices.

This is also facilitated by uncontrolled imports of durum wheat to Italy, which, according to Coldiretti, increased by 28% in the first 4 months of 2025, which led to a drop in domestic wheat prices. During this time, durum wheat supplies from Canada doubled compared to the previous season.

Italian farmers are outraged that imported wheat is treated with substances banned in the EU. For example, in Canada, wheat is treated with glyphosate, which is banned in Italy, before harvesting.

In recent years, several countries, including Canada, Turkey, and the Russian Federation, have been taking turns flooding the Italian market with wheat, especially on the eve of the local harvest, which is leading to a drop in prices, Coldiretti notes.