Italy the biggest importer of Serbian wheat

Last month, Serbia exported 31,000 tonnes of wheat to Italy, which still maintains the position of the largest importer of Serbian wheat from Serbia, says the Žitounija Association.

 “Other quantities were exported to Albania, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Between July 2022 and June 2023, Italy was the leading buyer of our wheat“, says Zdravko Šajatović, the Association’s president.

In the first month of the current economic year, the flour manufacturers exported almost 16,000 tonnes, which is about 20 percent more than last year’s monthly average. According to Šajatović, a possible reason for the increase in exports is that some countries had lower yields, but also somewhat lower prices on the market. The average export price of flour was slightly more than 280 euros per tonne in July.

“It was quite cheap, but wheat was also cheap. I think the prices of wheat and flour will slowly go up. Geopolitical factors significantly affect the price of grain, which suits us, as an exporting country”, said Šajatović.

Global grain prices increased after Russia recently attacked a Ukrainian port on the Danube. The attack destroyed buildings at the port of Izmail, halting ships preparing to arrive to load Ukrainian grain despite a blockade imposed by Russia in mid-July.

After the attack, wheat prices rose, the stock exchange in Chicago reacted by almost five percent due to concerns about the reduction of global supplies following the problems in Ukraine, one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat.

According to Agroklub, producers in Ukraine are already feeling the impact, because they cannot deliver their products. Before Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Agreement, Ukrainian river ports on the Danube accounted for only about a quarter of grain exports. Now, the Romanian port Constanta is the main route of export and Kyiv’s goal is to have international ships load the goods from there.

Tags: Serbia, wheat, Italy