Wheat is the third most common and widespread crop in the world, and serves as one of the oldest and cheapest grains that is used for many different purposes. Nowadays, 80% of the world’s wheat is used to create flour, which in return is used for baking bread. However, this common crop is being put under enormous pressure, because of climate change, the covid-19 pandemic and the recent conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Experts have even been warning for a global food crisis.
Around 86% of global wheat exports come from only seven countries, including Russia and Ukraine. Since the war between Russia and Ukraine, the wheat export has been affected severely. Ukraine cannot harvest and deliver as many crops anymore as it did before, due to Russia’s invasion, and Russia itself blocked important trading routes for a while.
Next to the war situation, climate change has been increasing food insecurity. Heatwaves and droughts affected and are still affecting many wheat producing countries like the US, Canada and China, leading to failed harvests. On top of climate change, the covid-19 pandemic had already heavily compromised crops worldwide over the past two years and disrupted exports, sparked the rise in food prices and increased both poverty and hunger all over the world. This has led to more than 928 million people worldwide who are facing severe hunger and food insecurity.
It goes without saying that this wheat shortage has a huge impact on the food industry, which heavily relies on wheat. But it’s not only the food industry that’s being affected. Many other products, both food and non-food, rely on wheat as a base material for products like wheat alcohol. Wheat alcohol is used for the production of essential products like cosmetics, medicines, alcohol and beauty products.
Since these products are so widely and frequently used, the general wheat alcohol supplier would be wise to stock up on the needed resources to continue productions as well as possible.
