Italian Soft-Wheat Flour Exports Rise 14.83% as US Becomes Largest Market
Italy exported 202,654 tonnes of soft-wheat flour in the first half of 2026, up 14.83% from the same period of 2025. The United States became the largest destination after shipments to the market increased 38.42%.
First-half exports exceed 200,000 tonnes
Italian exports of soft-wheat flour reached 202,654 tonnes in the first half of 2026, an increase of 14.83% compared with the same period of 2025. The figures, cited by Italmopa from the latest data of Italy’s national statistics institute Istat, confirm that foreign sales continued to expand across several of the industry’s main markets.
Italmopa, the association representing Italian milling companies, said the first-half performance puts full-year exports on course to approach 400,000 tonnes. That figure is a projection rather than a confirmed target, but it indicates that the industry expects the positive trend to continue during the second half. Reaching that level would require mills to maintain an average export pace broadly comparable with the volume recorded between January and June.
United States moves ahead of European destinations
The United States was the main driver of growth. Italian soft-wheat flour exports to the country increased 38.42% in the first half, making it the largest destination market. It moved ahead of France, Germany and Spain, according to Italmopa’s account of the Istat figures. The sources did not provide absolute shipment volumes or market shares for individual destinations, so the scale of the US lead cannot be quantified from the available data.
Demand also increased in Italy’s principal European markets. Exports to France rose 9.22%, shipments to Germany advanced 11.11%, and sales to Spain climbed 23.1%. Spain therefore recorded the second-fastest growth rate among the four named destinations, although the United States remained clearly ahead in percentage terms. The broad rise across both transatlantic and neighboring European markets reduces the extent to which the overall increase depends on a single destination, even as US demand provides the strongest contribution.
Premium applications support Italian positioning
Italmopa attributed the export performance to grain selection, milling expertise, advanced processing techniques and investment in quality and innovation. The association noted that Italian millers use selected wheat regardless of its origin, underlining that the competitiveness of exported flour depends on processing and product specifications as well as access to grain. No figures were supplied for wheat sourcing, production capacity, export values or prices.
The industry is particularly focused on premium applications, including flour for pizzerias and high-quality pastry production. These customers require products tailored to specific processing and baking characteristics, giving millers scope to compete on consistency and technical performance rather than volume alone. For producers, the 14.83% increase signals stronger utilization of milling and commercial capabilities. For distributors and food-service buyers in the United States and Europe, it points to a growing supply of specialized Italian flour, although the available figures do not show whether higher volumes were accompanied by changes in prices or margins.
The second-half performance will determine whether exports come close to Italmopa’s projection of 400,000 tonnes for 2026. The comparison will also show whether the 38.42% expansion in the United States represents a sustained change in destination demand or an unusually strong six-month period. For now, the Istat-based data indicate growth across all four markets identified by the association, with the United States emerging as the leading outlet for Italian soft-wheat flour.
