Canadian wheat around the world

Canada has some of the best land to produce high-quality varieties of wheat, and we’re lucky to be able to enjoy our wheat in all kinds of locally made products—but did you know that the majority of wheat grown in Canada is sent abroad? Last year, over 22 million tonnes of Canadian wheat was exported to other countries, making its way to nearly every continent.

So where does all the wheat go? We’ve listed five countries receiving Canadian wheat and what foods they like to make with it.

United States

Not surprisingly, we’ve exported the highest volume of wheat (around 2.5 million tonnes) to our neighbours to the south in the past year. Due to our different growing conditions/regions, Canada has more and better soil to produce wheat than the United States. Unfortunately, we don’t have data on what Canadian wheat is used for in the United States, but we imagine it’s used in classic Americana cuisine like burger buns and apple pie.

Indonesia

Head to South East Asia to find the second country on our list of wheat exports by volume. On average, we’ve sent over two million tonnes of Canadian wheat to Indonesia each year over the past three years. Indonesia’s known for humid tropical conditions, which are perfect for growing rice, but not great for growing the world’s oldest grain, wheat. The wheat we send to Indonesia is often used to make noodles, like the ones used in this pasta dish with peanut sauce.

Bangladesh

On average, we’re exporting over one million tonnes of Canadian Wheat to Bangladesh each year. With their growing economy, the demand for wheat products in the country is continuing to rise. Canadian wheat in Bangladesh is transformed into many breads and rolls, like the famous paratas, a simple Bangladeshi flat bread.

Peru

In South America, Peru receives the most Canadian wheat, with an average of over 1.2 million tonnes per year. There’s a long-standing relationship between Peru and Canada when it comes to wheat¾we’ve been exporting wheat to Peru for over 40 years. Just like with Bangladesh, you can expect to see Canadian wheat in local breads, like the pan de anis, a rich anise bread.

Italy

And of course, we send our high-quality wheat to Italy, the pasta capital of the world. Exports to Italy have declined over the years (due to a push for more wheat production in Italy), but we have still supplied an average of over 700,000 tonnes of wheat to Italy each year for the past three years. Canada is the leading exporter of durum wheat in the world, which is the perfect wheat variety to make the delicious pasta Italy is famous for.