ROME, ITALY ­— Italian soft wheat flour exports continue to perform strongly on international markets, according to recent data from the Italian National Institute of Statistics.

In the first half of 2026, Italian soft wheat flour exports reached 202,654 tonnes, up nearly 15% compared with the same period in 2025. The growth puts year-end projections on track to reach the 400,000-tonne mark. 

Growth is being driven mainly by the United States, which has taken the lead in the export rankings following record first-half growth of 38%, the Italian Association of Millers (ITALMOPA) said. 

“The United States has thus become the leading export market, ahead of France (9%), Germany (11%) and Spain (23%),” ITALMOPA said.

In 2025, the volume of Italian exports of soft wheat flour and durum wheat semolina amounted to approximately 362,000 tonnes and 142,000 tonnes, respectively, with an increase of 10% for soft wheat flour and nearly 8% for durum wheat semolina compared to 2024.

“The careful selection of the finest wheat, regardless of origin, the milling industry’s excellence and know-how, underpinned by expertise and state-of-the-art milling techniques, and its ability to meet the specific requirements of premium market segments abroad, from pizzerias to high-end patisseries, remain the strategic drivers of this success, pointing to a solid and lasting outlook for years to come,” the millers’ association said.

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Arvin Donley is editor of World Grain. He has been at Sosland Publishing Company since 2005, covering the grain, milling and feed industries. He is a 1989 graduate of the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas.

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