WHEAT Documentary: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Wheat

exporting country in the world, by Russia, THE largest grain exporting country in the world, this may put the world's food supply in a precarious position in the coming years. The United States is second only to Russia in

wheat

exports and, under more stable circumstances, could probably fill the gap left by a possible dominance over Russian and Ukrainian exports. How

ever

, sky-high fertilizer and diesel prices in the United States make the proposal to harvest more

wheat

, even at high prices, a double-edged sword. Additionally, a lackluster harvest last year has left U.S. grain storage at its lowest levels in 14 years, and continuing droughts are impacting production in key winter wheat states such as Kansas.

It seems that a perfect storm has brewed for a possible global shortage of this critical product and much higher prices for the average loaf of bread. Given that wheat accounts for 20 percent of all calories consumed by humanity, this scenario is bad news for

ever

yone. Unfortunately, poorer countries and lower-income households will be hardest hit, as they spend more of their overall income on staple foods. Recently, India has emerged as a new major wheat exporter to help alleviate supply shortages. Measures the government is implementing there include ensuring that government-approved laboratories test the quality of wheat for export, making additional rail cars available for transportation, and ensuring that port authorities prioritize wheat exports.

India's wheat exports have already increased massively from 1.12 million tonnes in 2020 to 6.12 million tonnes in 2021, and the aim is now to bring 10 million tonnes to the world after the new wheat season begins. harvest. Let us hope that India's efforts prove fruitful and can help close the gap in global wheat supply caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Better yet, let's hope that the conflict ends so that supply chains can be restored, peace can be restored, and wheat can flow freely from those nations again. Without wheat, it is very likely that human civilization would never have been able to establish itself, build empires, and advance to where we are today.

This humble grain is easy to overlook as we are used to seeing it around us and being readily available, but as recent events have revealed, we must not take wheat for granted, lest the fate of ancient Egypt befall us. fall over in the modern era. Commodity Culture is a series about commodities and natural resources. If you want to see more, be sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell to always be updated with the latest episodes.