French pasta manufacturers are sounding the alarm for an upcoming shortage of durum wheat, caused by climate problems in Canada and Europe, reports News in 24.
“Climate change is endangering the pasta market,” warned Sifpaf, a union of industrial manufacturers of pasta, and CFSI, the French Committee for industrial semolina, in a joint statement.
The statement said far too abundant rains in Europe and an unprecedented drought in Canada have lead to a shortage of durum wheat, the only raw material for pasta, and historic soaring world prices.
Canada, hit this summer by an exceptionally intense heat wave, is the leading producer of durum wheat, for which it alone accounts for two-thirds of world trade.
The “heat dome” that has affected the country, “is expected to lead to a harvest of less than 4.2 million tonnes, 32% less than the average of the last five years and almost 30% less than the forecast of July 20, according to figures from the Canadian statistical office StatCan.
“With a historically low stock, it will not be possible to supply the world market with stored hard wheats," StatCan stated.
