News

Investment in milling capacity reduces Sub-Saharan Africa wheat flour imports

Wheat Flour
Wheat
Sudan
Russia
Angola
Published Jan 16, 2022

Tridge summary

Sub-Saharan Africa has undergone a transformation in its wheat flour import market over the past 5 years. In 2016/17, Angola and Sudan were the two largest importers of wheat flour, importing primarily from the three largest suppliers to the region: Turkey, Egypt, and the EU. These three countries are responsible for 80 percent of global exports to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Original content

Currently, Angola and Sudan play a much smaller role while other countries like Ethiopia, Somalia, and Benin have emerged as new key importers instead. Overall, the region’s wheat flour imports have contracted by around 40 percent over the past 5 years, while wheat grain imports have expanded as African countries make investments in domestic milling. Over the past decade, flour mills in Sudan have been established and expanded to satisfy domestic consumption demands. In 2017/18, Sudan stopped importing wheat flour almost entirely. This coincided with a series of economic reforms, including the elimination of its wheat subsidy and devaluing its currency1. As a result of the reforms, the price of bread doubled and imports of higher value end-use products (like flour) from the international market became significantly more expensive. After significant private industry investment, Angola now imports one-quarter of its 2016/17 wheat flour levels. In 2017, following a steep decline in ...
Source: Agfax
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