The price of durum wheat in Italy continues to plummet, putting thousands of farms in difficulty. From €490 per ton in September 2022, it has fallen to the current €277, according to the latest prices on the Foggia and Bari Commodity Exchanges: a 44% cut that no longer covers production costs, estimated at over €1.200 per hectare.
The situation is worsened by the growing reliance on imports: in 2022, Italy purchased 2,2 million tons of durum wheat from abroad, while in the first six months of 2025, imports have already reached 1,47 million tons, a 9% increase compared to the same period last year.
"There are still no rules and policies capable of guaranteeing the proper profitability of our wheat," denounces Gennaro Sicolo, national vice president and Puglia president of Cia-Agricoltori Italiani. "The EU and the Italian government must do more." Sicolo notes that since 2023, Cia has been campaigning for 100% Italian durum wheat and pasta, supported by nearly 100 signatures, the support of 50 Apulian "wheat municipalities" (equivalent to approximately 1,4 million citizens), and demonstrations in Foggia, Bari, and Rome.
According to the association, measures are needed to strengthen producers' bargaining power: from demand aggregation to investments in logistics and storage, to tax breaks for machinery and innovation. "Today, grain growers are squeezed between the margins of mills and pasta factories," Sicolo adds. "We need to enforce reciprocity of rules with non-European countries, where pesticides banned in Italy are still permitted."
The discontent is also evident in the streets. Coldiretti mobilized over 8 farmers in Bari today, along with another 20 in total between Palermo, Cagliari, Rovigo, and Florence. "A kilo of pasta now costs 2 euros on the shelves, but farmers are paid just 28 cents for each kilo of wheat," Coldiretti Puglia reports. "More than 38 grain farms in the region are at risk."
The loudest warning comes from Capitanata: "In recent years, the area planted with durum wheat in the provinces of Foggia, BAT, and the Bari metropolitan area has shrunk by approximately 20 hectares," warns Angelo Miano, provincial president of Cia Capitanata. "The situation is exacerbated by empty reservoirs and an irrigation season that never started, while temperatures remain above average. Without drastic measures, we risk collapse." Miano believes Italy cannot stand idly by while the United States and Canada protect their producers with heavy tariffs.
