Growers must aim to maximise wheat quality this season – to make the most of new export opportunities on the world market, according to speakers at a recent HGCA bread-baking workshop.
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Millers and bakers from the key overseas markets of Portugal, Spain and Italy demonstrated the suitability of UK wheat varieties in baking their traditional breads. Continental loaves were produced using various combinations of UK wheats: Clare, Malacca, Consort and Charger.
“The bread looks lovely,” commented the Italian delegate, Alberto Figna, “UK wheats are certainly very suitable and we would hope to buy more this year.”
The results were outstanding and surprised some of the British delegates. Group 3 varieties such as Consort, traditionally thought of as a biscuit wheat, were found to be ideal for traditional Portuguese and Spanish loaves.
Simon Browne, Chairman of British Cereal Exports, commented: “With Group 3 wheats forming the bulk of what’s in the ground this year, it’s reassuring to hear that they have a market in Spain and Portugal. They are ideal for breadbaking in these countries, where flavour and consistency is more important than the high volume associated with Group 1 and 2 varieties.
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By GlobalData“With the potential for a hugely increased wheat crop this year of anything up to 17.2 million tonnes, it’s vital that we make the most of every export opportunity.
“But it’s also clear from the workshop that overseas buyers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their requirements – if we are to have any hope of competing on the world market, then we must supply to the customer’s requirements.
“Last season’s problems of low Hagberg falling number (HFN) and protein were especially brought to light. For example, the Portuguese and Spanish are looking for higher HFN and proteins of between 300-375 and 11-13%,” he continued.
“On the other hand, it was encouraging to hear that quality assurance is becoming a growing factor in the buying decisions of our major export markets. This puts us in a strong position against our key competitors, the French, who cannot offer the same degree of traceability.”
Browne concluded that despite a promising outlook for wheat exports this year, a complete re-think about the export market is long overdue.
“We cannot continue to rely on the feed market for exports in future. It’s a static market and the lowest common denominator in terms of quality,” he explained. “There are more opportunities to be had from the Group 2 bread making wheats as overseas demand is definitely on the up. HGCA is working hard to develop these markets and growers will need to make every effort to fulfil opportunities as they arise.”
