the grain market | Italy

1.1 Definition and scope of study

The term "cereal" refers to all the plants belonging to the family of graminaceous plants which produce "seeds or grains". In the world 8700 species of cereals are cultivated and they occupy 50% of the available arable land. The main categories of cereals are: wheat, rice, barley, maize, oats, sorghum and rye. Cereals are very rich in carbohydrates and fibers and for this reason they are a good source of energy present in diets all over the world. Generally cereals are used for the production of bread, pasta and flours but they are also used for the production of alcoholic beverages such as beer. 

In terms of the global market, global wheat 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 suffered a sharp decline in the short term during the pandemic due to trade restrictions.

In Italy the cereal produced most is maize, followed by durum wheat, soft wheat and barley. In 2020, in fact, 6,845,000 tons of maize, 3,997,000 tons of durum wheat, 2,687,000 of soft wheat and 1,099,000 tons of barley were produced in Italy. As far as exports are concerned, the preferred cereal in 2020 is once again maize while the least preferred is durum wheat. 

In Italy, the market trend is a sharp increase in prices (+27.8% compared to 2020). This trend is due to the restrictions caused by Covid-19 which have made the production and transport of cereals more difficult. In Italy companies producing cereals are usually small/medium sized family businesses. Within the cereal market more and more people are inclined to buy BIO cereals.