Buyers from Italy and Greece notified large grain traders from Moldova, who supplied them with food wheat of the new harvest, that control laboratory analyses revealed non-compliance of these products with the European standard on one of the quality indicators. Namely, the W index (flour gluten strength) of Moldovan wheat was actually about one third lower than the norm.
The W index is an indicator of “flour strength”, which measures its elasticity and viscosity, and, consequently, the amount of protein (gluten). The higher the W value, the more gluten there is in the flour, making the dough more elastic, better able to retain moisture and suitable for products such as high-quality bread or pizza.
Commenting on the current situation, the chairman of the Association of Grain Exporters Agrocereale, Iurie Rija, noted in a conversation with Logos Press correspondent that earlier European buyers of Moldovan wheat paid attention only to one of the most important parameters of its quality – protein content. In the bulk of wheat of the harvest-2025, grown in Moldova, the protein is consistently higher than 12% (gluten – at least 24%), which corresponds to the category of food grain. In general, even at the stage of wheat harvesting, experts paid attention to its relatively high quality – both in Moldova and in other countries of the Black Sea region. And Moldovan exporters faced the problem of low W index for the first time in the current marketing season. Although this index has always been specified in forward contracts.
In principle, experts believe that the W index depends on wheat genetics, climatic conditions, fertilizers and milling technologies. In the spring of 2025, Moldova experienced periods of high humidity and sharp changes in atmospheric temperature. It is possible that the weather specifics of the current agricultural season led to a decrease in the W index of Moldovan wheat.
Some flour-milling specialists suggested that the problem of lower flour strength is related to the fact that farmers and traders did not let the wheat “rest on the elevator” for some time, but sold it immediately after the harvest, which could have an undesirable effect on the W index. Meanwhile, a certain problem for traders is also represented by the fact that in Moldova there are no laboratories able to carry out researches for determination of “flour strength” index. As a consequence, the corresponding analyses have to be ordered abroad. The operators of the European grain market are, of course, well aware of this “Moldovan problem”.
A certain role in all this story is probably played by the fact that at present the European wheat market is a “buyer’s market”, i.e. the market of situationally excessive supply and decreasing prices. In such a situation, the buyer in principle strives to buy the best possible product for the lowest possible price. While the seller tries to sell his goods as soon as possible, fearing further pressure of “bad news” and other factors on the price situation on the market.
By the way, in this regard, it is interesting to note that in July-August Moldova sent to foreign markets a record for this period of the marketing season the amount of wheat – 307 thousand tons (in July-August 2024 – 269 thousand tons, in the same months of 2023 – 197 thousand tons, 2022 – only 99 thousand tons). It is especially noteworthy that the largest share of Moldovan wheat was exported in August – almost 221 thousand tons. Its main buyers were Italy (47.6% of the physical volume of supplies), Romania (17.6%), Greece (15.4%) and Switzerland (10.8%). In other words, the countries that love pizza and other high-quality baked goods.
