Many people across the globe use wheat as a staple diet since it is a commonly grown crop. Three of the most significant wheat cultivars are common (Triticum aestivum), durum (T. durum), and club (Triticum aestivum) (T. compactum).
Cash crops like wheat may be grown in temperate climates with somewhat short growing seasons because of their high yield per unit area and flexible, high-quality flour. Among the many goods made with wheat flour, there are a wide variety of bread, pasta, crackers, muffins, tortillas, and pitas.
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Wheat Production on a Global Scale
This grain is the second most widely grown and traded cereal grain globally after maize; its worldwide commerce dwarfs all other crops combined. According to the United Nations, the wheat output will reach 760 million metric tonnes by 2020.
More than half the world’s wheat is produced in China, India, and Russia. The United States’ wheat production is the fourth-largest globally, behind only China and India. While China is the only other nation that can match Europe’s wheat output if the EU were considered a single entity,
Countries that will produce the most wheat by 2020, as measured in metric tonnes
- China — 134,254,710
- India — 107,590,000
- Russia — 85,896,326
- United States — 49,690,680
- Canada — 35,183,000
- France — 30,144,110
- Pakistan — 25,247,511
- Ukraine — 24,912,350
- Germany — 22,172,100
- Turkey — 20,500,000
*As was previously stated in the text, the EU output of 126,658,950 tonnes ranks second if it were a single nation. A list of data for nations 11 through 124 may be found in the following table:
Wheat output worldwide will be affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Nearly a third of the world’s wheat trade is handled by Russia and Ukraine together.
To counteract the rising wheat prices, Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has resulted in numerous nations suspending or cutting off commercial links with Russia. Fertilizer, which is critical to increasing agricultural yields, is also a key export from Russia, complicating matters further for farmers.
Wheat plants, their uses, nutrition, and gluten
Wheat plants, like other grasses, have long, thin leaves and stalks, as well as tiny, clustered blooms, known as spikelets. The seeds are found on these spikelets that are used to make food out of the plant.
Wheat may be cultivated in a wide range of temperatures and soil types, but it thrives best in areas with annual rainfall ranging from 12 to 36 inches (30 to 90 cm).
To prepare wheat for human consumption, the grain must be washed and broken up by adding water. Milled wheat is broken and run through rollers to break it down into smaller pieces. More than a third of the milled grain is turned into flour.
Wheat may also be used to produce starch, malt, dextrose, gluten, alcohol, and various other goods.
Wheat has a protein level of roughly 13% and is the primary source of vegetable protein in human meals. As an added benefit, it is a good source of carbs. Wheat is a good source of fiber and minerals when consumed as a whole grain.
Individuals with the immunological illness Celiac disease may be at risk of harming their small intestines from gluten, which is found in wheat. If you’ve got dermatitis herpetiformis or gluten ataxia, you may also be sensitive to gluten, which might cause non-celiac reactions.
Here are the top 10 wheat-producing countries:
- China (134,254,710 tons)
- India (107,590,000 tons)
- Russia (85,896,326 tons)
- United States (49,690,680 tons)
- Canada (35,183,000 tons)
- France (30,144,110 tons)
- Pakistan (25,247,511 tons)
- Ukraine (24,912,350 tons)
- Germany (22,172,100 tons)
- Turkey (20,500,000 tons)
Country | 2020 Production (tons) |
---|---|
China | 134254710 |
India | 107590000 |
Russia | 85896326 |
United States | 49690680 |
Canada | 35183000 |
France | 30144110 |
Pakistan | 25247511 |
Ukraine | 24912350 |
Germany | 22172100 |
Turkey | 20500000 |
Argentina | 19776942 |
Iran | 15000000 |
Australia | 14480217 |
Kazakhstan | 14257950 |
Poland | 12433210 |
United Kingdom | 9658000 |
Egypt | 9000000 |
Spain | 8143510 |
Romania | 6754530 |
Italy | 6716180 |
Brazil | 6347987 |
Iraq | 6238392 |
Uzbekistan | 6157844 |
Ethiopia | 5478709 |
Afghanistan | 5185000 |
Hungary | 5121480 |
Bulgaria | 4847940 |
Lithuania | 4818750 |
Denmark | 4070410 |
Sweden | 3214300 |
Algeria | 3106754 |
Mexico | 2986689 |
Serbia | 2873503 |
Syria | 2848472 |
Belarus | 2848391 |
Latvia | 2659600 |
Morocco | 2561898 |
Nepal | 2185289 |
Slovakia | 2133330 |
South Africa | 2109100 |
Azerbaijan | 1818665 |
Belgium | 1741480 |
Austria | 1652740 |
Turkmenistan | 1320000 |
Paraguay | 1302870 |
Chile | 1230988 |
Greece | 1095150 |
Tunisia | 1042000 |
Bangladesh | 1029000 |
Japan | 949300 |
Netherlands | 931830 |
Croatia | 867530 |
Tajikistan | 846000 |
Estonia | 840520 |
Uruguay | 776300 |
Sudan | 750821 |
Finland | 686620 |
Kyrgyzstan | 629052 |
Moldova | 569735 |
Saudi Arabia | 554562 |
Switzerland | 527496 |
New Zealand | 453749 |
Mongolia | 406129 |
Kenya | 404700 |
Ireland | 364920 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 321804 |
Bolivia | 311310 |
Norway | 303000 |
North Macedonia | 246031 |
Albania | 233430 |
Zambia | 191620 |
Peru | 187851 |
Slovenia | 158130 |
Zimbabwe | 150000 |
Lebanon | 140000 |
Armenia | 131951 |
Libya | 130000 |
Israel | 116691 |
Myanmar | 111215 |
Georgia | 102400 |
Yemen | 100860 |
North Korea | 89000 |
Portugal | 83500 |
Tanzania | 77000 |
Luxembourg | 72400 |
Nigeria | 55000 |
Mali | 37124 |
Palestine | 34374 |
Cyprus | 32270 |
Eritrea | 25000 |
Uganda | 25000 |
Jordan | 21746 |
South Korea | 16985 |
Mozambique | 15000 |
Ecuador | 14647 |
Rwanda | 12811 |
Namibia | 12000 |
DR Congo | 9000 |
Mauritania | 8942 |
Burundi | 8610 |
Lesotho | 8000 |
Colombia | 6295 |
Taiwan | 4710 |
Niger | 4276 |
Angola | 2955 |
Oman | 2865 |
Montenegro | 2339 |
Chad | 1815 |
Bhutan | 1623 |
Thailand | 1423 |
Honduras | 1244 |
Somalia | 1043 |
Botswana | 1028 |
Madagascar | 1000 |
Guatemala | 835 |
Eswatini | 715 |
Malawi | 697 |
Venezuela | 684 |
Cameroon | 437 |
Kuwait | 68 |
New Caledonia | 54 |
Qatar | 2 |
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