Global Flour Trade Remains Stagnant Amid Regional Variations

Global flour trade has shown slow signs of recovery, according to the International Grains Council (IGC). Demand from Turkey and Egypt is expected to rise somewhat, while Iraq's and Sudan's external purchases are projected to remain at historically low levels.

The IGC reported that global wheat flour trade in the 2025/26 marketing year fell to 15.1 million tonnes in grain equivalent, its lowest figure in five years. This was largely due to a significant decline in shipments to Iraq, which plummeted by almost 80% to 300,000 tonnes, a 21-year low.

The Middle East region saw flour imports drop for the third consecutive season, reaching a 14-year low of 1.8 million tonnes. Sub-Saharan Africa also experienced a decrease of 33%, with flour imports totaling 2.2 million tonnes.

Notably, Egypt's flour exports suffered the sharpest decline, dropping to 635,000 tonnes from 1.94 million tonnes in the previous season. Turkey reduced its exports for the second consecutive season, reaching 3.4 million tonnes, its lowest level since the 2012/13 season.