By Jen Skerrit (Bloomberg), 01/11/2018
On Gerrid Gust’s farm in Saskatchewan, favorable weather this year brought a bumper crop of high-protein durum wheat, the best in the past few years. The grain used to make spaghetti isn’t fetching the usual premium price, though. It’s stuck in storage because of restrictions on pasta by Italy, the world’s top consumer, and popular diets that avoid carbohydrates.
Canada’s durum exports have tumbled 22 percent in the season that started Aug. 1 after Italy implemented country-of-origin regulations on pasta, restricting wheat shipments from the North American country.