Wheat of the new harvest in Ukraine has a very low proportion of high-protein grain

According to the SGS company, which annually creates a map of the quality of grain and oil crops in Ukraine, this year a significant decrease in the average content of protein and crude gluten was recorded in wheat.

Thus, in 80% of 424 wheat samples selected from farms in 21 regions of Ukraine, the average protein content was 10.96%, and raw gluten – 18.5%, while last year these indicators reached 11.8% and 21.6 % respectively. This protein content became the worst since 2008, and gluten - since 2011.

At the same time, only 36.8% of the examined batches from the 2023 harvest (55.8% in 2022) meet the requirements of importers, in particular Indonesia, one of the world's largest buyers of wheat, in terms of protein content, and only 6% in terms of the overall quality indicators. 6% (21.3% in 2022).

In general, the analysis of the selected samples shows the following distribution of wheat of this year's harvest by classes: 1-3 class - 25.2% (39.2% in 2022), 4th class - 41.3% (36.9%), non-class - 33 .5% (27.2%). The analysis of the samples taken in the northern and western regions of Ukraine, where the quality is somewhat better, has not yet been completed. However, considering the share of the harvest in these regions, it will not be able to significantly affect the distribution by classes and the average values of individual indicators.

Experts of APC-Inform estimate the wheat harvest in Ukraine at 21.5 million tons, which is 4% higher than the figure for 2022. However, given the previous quality assessments and compliance with flour milling conditions (the proportion of samples corresponding to the indicators of contracts for delivery to Indonesia), even with the improvement of the overall situation due to the harvest in the northern and western regions, only 10% of the wheat will be in suitable condition.

This means that only 2.15 million tons of wheat from this year's harvest will be suitable for the production of high-quality flour, which, with domestic consumption of wheat at the level of 3.1 million tons, will create a supply deficit of 0.95 million tons.