Canada’s grain quality agency says the durum crop has been damaged from rainy, damp conditions, with some farmers holding off on harvesting crops in the hopes of drier weather.
Mildew and sprouting damage has appeared in some early crop samples arriving at the Canadian Grain Commission.
CGC grain inspector Chris Fleury says that durum wheat appears to be particularly affected by the wet conditions.
Sprouting in durum wheat kernels lowers the quality of the grain for pasta and couscous makers, who are major customers in North America, Italy and North Africa.
Mildew can also lower quality.
More than half of the world’s durum exports come from Canada.
Statistics Canada on Sept. 17 predicted a Canadian durum crop of 6.53 million metric tons, which would be the largest since 2020’s 6.57 million.
