Wheat: Overview
Hard, soft or durum: which wheat becomes which food
What this tab covers What the commodity is used for, why, in what volumes and with what alternatives, and its chain from mine or field to end user. Also the latest price moves, top recent news, three things to know, and buttons into each tab.Key uses
| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bread, bakery, pasta and other wheat foods outside China and India | 52.9% | about 435 Mt a yearbasis | Wheat gluten traps gas and stretches, which no other cheap grain can do, so leavened bread, pastry and pasta need it. Hard wheats make bread, soft wheats biscuits and cakes, durum pasta. North Africa, the Middle East and Europe eat wheat as their main staple. Includes seed and some industrial use. USDA WASDE, 9 Oct 2026 | Rye and barley (some breads) Rice and maize flour (gluten-free products) Cassava flour blends (West Africa) |
| China: noodles, steamed buns (mantou), dumplings | 14.2% | about 117 Mt a yearbasis | Northern China is a wheat-eating region built on the North China Plain's irrigated wheat-maize rotation. The state buys wheat at a minimum purchase price, so supply is mostly domestic and reserves are huge. USDA WASDE, 9 Oct 2026 | Rice (southern China) Maize and millet (minor staples) |
| India: atta for roti and chapati, maida, suji; public distribution | 12.4% | about 102 Mt a yearbasis | Whole-wheat atta is the staple of north and central India. The Food Corporation of India buys wheat at the minimum support price and distributes it free under PMGKAY to about 81 crore people, so a large share moves through the state rather than the market. USDA WASDE, 9 Oct 2026; Government of India (PMGKAY, extended from 1 Jan 2024 for five years) | Rice (PDS can swap rice for wheat) Millets: jowar, bajra, ragi |
| Animal feed (and residual) | 20.5% | about 169 Mt a yearbasis | Wheat competes with maize in poultry and pig rations in the EU, Russia, Australia and China. Feed use jumps when wheat is cheap relative to maize or when rain spoils milling quality. Bran from milling also goes to feed. USDA WASDE, 9 Oct 2026 | Maize Barley Sorghum Soybean meal for protein |
| Industrial: starch, vital gluten, glucose and fuel ethanol | n/a | included in the food, seed and industrial rows above; not split out by USDAbasis | Wet millers split wheat into starch and gluten. Gluten is sold to bakers and pet food makers, starch to paper and sweeteners. EU and UK distilleries use feed wheat for ethanol when maize is dear. USDA WASDE category definitions | Maize (starch, ethanol) Potato and cassava starch |
From field to user
- Sowing Winter wheat is sown in autumn (India's rabi crop in October-December); spring wheat in April-May in Canada, Russia's east and Kazakhstan.
- Harvest India harvests in March-May, the northern hemisphere in June-September, Australia and Argentina in November-January. World output was 844 Mt in 2025/26 (USDA).
- Procurement and country storage In India the FCI and state agencies buy at the MSP (Rs 2,425/quintal for the 2025 crop, Rs 2,585 for the 2026 crop and Rs 2,610 for the 2027 crop). Elsewhere farmers sell to elevators or co-operatives.
- Grading and export logistics Grain is graded by class, protein and moisture, then moves by rail, barge or truck to port silos on the Black Sea, US Gulf and Pacific, and Australian coasts.
- Sea freight and import tenders World trade was about 227 Mt in 2025/26 (USDA). Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Japan buy through state tenders.
- Milling Roller mills separate flour from bran and germ; white flour takes about 72-78% of the grain (indicative industry norm), whole-wheat atta close to all of it.
- Bakers, noodle makers, households and the PDS Flour goes to bakeries, pasta and noodle plants, or, in India, to ration shops and chakki mills.
Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25
CBOT soft red winter wheat futures 625 US cents/bushel Close 2026-10-23 · Yahoo Finance 1 week -5.4% 6 months +0.6% World production 798.5 m tonnes, 2024 Largest producer China 17.55% of worldThree things to know
- Between June 2010 and February 2011 wheat prices more than doubled after Russia's drought and export ban (Blas & Farchy).
- Wheat output is the least concentrated of the big grains, with an HHI of 777 in 2024 (FAOSTAT).
- China holds about 43% of the world's projected 2025/26 wheat ending stocks (USDA WASDE, October 2026).
Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days
- Wheat prices encourage planting, but input costs remain a wildcardBrownfield Ag News · 2026-10-25
- Wheat crop area unlikely to shrink this season, raising hopes of another bumper harvest: govt officialLivemint · 2026-10-24
- FAS sees further decline in Russia wheat exportsWorld Grain · 2026-10-13
- Russia Turns to a Disputed Region to Keep Wheat Exports FlowingBloomberg.com · 2026-10-23
- Will El Nino steal winter's chill too? Scientists warn it may reduce cold waves, threaten wheat crop in IndiaDeccan Herald · 2026-10-08