Durum Wheat
World production of durum is around 40 million tonnes. The highest producing countries are Canada, the EU, the USA, Turkey and Syria. Global annual trade in durum wheat is around 6 to 7 million tonnes with Canada, the EU and the USA being the main exporters.
Durum production in Australia has undergone rapid expansion since the mid 1990s. Since this time the industry has changed from supplying the domestic market to being capable of producing exportable quantities. Production of durum is around 500,000 tonnes per year with 200,000 tonnes of this being exported.Durum is produced primarily in northern New South Wales and South Australia, with production expanding in Queensland and Western Australia.
Concerns about marketing and pricing of durum wheat were raised during the National Competition Policy (NCP) Review of the Wheat Marketing Act 1989. Following the NCP Review of the Wheat Marketing Act 1989 anagreement was made in July 2001 between AWB Limited and the Australian Durum Producers Cooperative (ADPC) to provide significant export marketing opportunities for durum growers.