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Fig. 31: Argentina's principal wheat-growing areas
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1. Wheat Growing Areas
Argentina's wheat growing region is divided into seven zones: I, II
North and II South, III, IV, V North and V South (Fig. 31). The zones differ in
respect of both climate and the nature of the soil, with higher temperatures and
dryness in the northern zones and lower temperatures, sometimes even cold
conditions, in the south. Usually there is more precipitation in Zones III and
IV. This means that the yield per hectare is higher in these areas, but the
protein values are often lower. Nor is it easy to draw conclusions about processing
and baking quality, since in recent years, especially, there has been a trend towards higher-yield wheat in Zones IV and V South, in some cases resulting
in poorer baking properties.
2. Marketing of Wheat
Wheat is currently marketed in the categories shown in Tab. 46.
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Tab. 46: Current standards for the marketing of Argentinian wheat
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The uses of Argentinian wheat are shown in Fig. 32, taking the year
2003 as an example. Most of the wheat is exported (Tab. 47). The most important
customer is Brazil, which imports about 70% (Tab. 48). Other buyers are Bolivia,
Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile.
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Fig. 32: Uses of Argentinian wheat, 2003
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Exports are falling year by year because there are no quality
standards. If Argentina could offer quality wheat, exports would increase again
immediately. The neighbouring countries and other countries of South America that
currently import quality wheat from the USA, Canada and even Europe would buy guaranteed
quality. Of course Argentina's wheat producers would be more than happy to increase
their production if they could achieve better prices, but this can only be done
through guaranteed and consistent quality. Tab. 55 gives an overview of wheat
qualities and their fluctuations.
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Tab. 47: Size of crops and flow of commodities for Argentinian wheat
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Tab. 48: The chief importers of Argentinian wheat47: Size of crops and
flow of commodities for Argentinian wheat
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3. The Market for Flour
Much the same applies to exports of wheat flour as to exports of
wheat. The biggest buyers of flour made from Argentinian wheat are Brazil,
Bolivia, Paraguay and Chile (Tab. 49). In Argentina, wheat flour is divided
into 5 types (Tab. 50).
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Tab. 49: Exports of flour (t)
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| Tab. 50. Grades of Argentinian Wheat Flour |
The big industrial bakeries, biscuit and pasta factories and other
bulk consumers are supplied exclusively by large mills that are able to meet
the quality requirements stipulated by the buyers. But many medium-sized and
small bakeries (processing up to 1,500 and 500 kg/day respectively) have
quality problems, and there are about 20,000 such bakeries in Argentina. Most
of them are supplied by small and medium-sized mills whose flour quality
differs greatly and also fluctuates. So most bakeries buy their flour from 2 -
4 mills and mix it to keep the quality fluctuations as small as possible. In
the choice of suppliers the price of the flour plays an important role, and the price is nearly always
lower if the quality is poor. Flours for making bakery products and pasta are
expected to have the following basic characteristics (Tab. 51). This means that
only certain wheat varieties are suitable for particular applications. Some
others may be "pepped up" for these purposes by flour treatment. Because
of the poor wheat qualities, many mills treat their flours. This requires
careful consideration, since nearly all bakeries use baking improvers.
Overdoses may easily result, and they impair the quality of the bread.
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Tab. 51: Flour requirements for specific applications
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4. Wheat Harvest of 2003
At 3.84 mio t, Zone V South had by far the biggest crop (Tab. 52). The
main reasons for this were the good quality of the soil, the fresh ground water,
the use of fertilizers in some cases and normal precipitation and temperatures.
Conditions were similar to this in Zone IV, where the second-largest crop was achieved. But the consequence of the large crops in the two zones was very low
gluten levels. It is noticeable that in these zones the stability of the
Farinogram was very good, whereas water absorption was poor. Apparently the
reason was the unusually low soil temperatures during the ripening period.
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Tab. 52: Size and quality of the 2003 crop according to zones
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Tab. 53: Attributes of the 2003 harvest as a raw material
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The attributes of the 2003 harvest as a raw material are shown in Tab.
53. The following factors are noticeable in comparison with the harvests of
1999-2002 (Tab. 55):
a) reduced 1000-kernel weight;
b) increase in the whole-grain ash content each year;
c) reduced gluten content;
d) larger bread volume.
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Tab. 54: Quality attributes according to zones (harvest of 2003)
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The differences are very large, the minimum being 1.480% and the
maximum 2.172% at an average of 1.919%. There are various reasons for the high ash
content. They include small grains, very salty ground water and a dry climate.
A noticeable feature is that the ash content increases from one year to the
next. It was 1.757% in 1999 and 1.919% in 2003.
Gluten Content
The gluten content was normal in all the zones except IV and V South,
where it was only 22.2% and 20.9% respectively. The main reason for this was
the wheat varieties with extremely high yields of about 6,000 to 8,000 kg/ha.
The normal yields of wheat varieties with a gluten content of 28 - 32% are
around 2,000 - 2,500 kg/ha. In these zones the mills have to be very careful when
buying wheat.
Falling Number
In none of the zones were there problems with sprouted wheat. The mean
values were all above 300 s. The Falling Number for a normal baker's flour is
300 - 350 s. So nearly all the mills have to correct the high Falling Numbers by
adding α-amylase.
Farinogram
It is noticeable that a dough stability of 15.9 and 15.1 min was found
in Zones IV and V South in spite of the low gluten content of 22.2 and 20.9%. A
normal baker's flour with a gluten content of 26 - 28% has a dough stability of
10 - 12 min, and only special flours with 28 - 32% gluten usually achieve as
much as 15 min.
Alveogram
The best results were found in Zones I, II North, II South and V
North. This is due to the optimum climatic conditions and the wheat varieties
grown.
Results of Baking
The average bread volume of 733 mL from 100 g of flour is the highest
of the past four years. The reasons for it are the very good qualities of the
wheat varieties used and the climate in Zones I, II North und II South, which
achieved volumes of more than 800 mL. No appreciable differences are to be
found between the average quality attributes of the 2003 crop and those of the
harvests of 1999 to 2002 (Tab. 55), but a noticeable feature is the low 1000-grain
weight of the 2003 crop and the continuous increase in the whole-grain ash
content since 1999.
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Tab. 55: Wheat quality in the years 1999 - 2003
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The general opinion of the millers is that the quality of the wheat
has deteriorated in recent years. This is due largely to the many new wheat
varieties that have been bred for higher yield rather than quality. But this is
contradicted by the high baking quality of the wheat from Zones IV and V South,
which shows that an increase in yield does not necessarily result in deterioration
of all the technical attributes of the wheat.
5. The Problem of Non- Classification
of Wheat
Argentina still has no standards for classifying wheat according to
quality. But there are buyers who would be willing to pay extra for a specific,
guaranteed quality. The consequence is that marketing has become increasingly complicated
and expensive.
The problem starts with the farmer. As he is not paid more for
quality, he chooses varieties with a high yield rather than the best quality. To
avoid quality problems the mills have to analyze every truck load of wheat. In
many cases Farinograms and Alveograms have to be made in addition to the
traditional analyses for gluten content, Falling Number etc. For example, Argentina's
biggest bread factory only buys flours from mills that have a Farinograph. It
demands a water absorption of 60 - 62% and a stability of 15 - 17 min. Biscuit factories
ask for a gluten content of 18 - 22% for sweet biscuits and 30 - 32% for
crackers.
Wheat dealers and exporters are obliged to make a careful analysis of
the wheat in laboratories of their own in order to charge better prices.
Moreover, some Brazilian mills are now asking for Farinogram values. Failure to
classify wheat has also led to a situation where Uruguayan mills import wheat from
Germany and Poland although they are only 250 - 400 km from Buenos Aires. Argentina
has always sold its exports of about 10 mio t of wheat by charging low prices,
never on the basis of quality, although the country does produce some
high-quality wheat. But since there is no classification, the latter can never
be proved.
Many experts are of the opinion that Argentina is pursuing a trading
strategy that is no longer acceptable internationally. As an exporter of wheat,
Argentina has to compete with Canada, the USA, Australia and now even with
France, Germany, Poland and some other countries. Quality has become a
precondition for every transaction, which means that it is no longer possible to
sell Argentinian wheat on the international grain market without a quality guarantee.
Internationally, the lack of quality wheat is a fact. Argentina has a chance to
position itself on the world market with wheat of good quality. It remains to
be seen whether the intended classification is enough to achieve this
objective.
Proposed Classification
Work on this proposal is currently being carried out by the following
institutions:
AAPROTRIGO –
Asociación Argentina de Productores de Trigo
CONASE – Comisión
Nacional de Semillas
INTA – Instituto
Nacional de TecnologÃa Agropecuaria
SENASA – Servicio
Nacional de Sanidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria
The classification is expected to come into effect in 2005. The
protein values are calculated on the basis of 13.5% moisture.
Quality class TDA (Trigo Durum
Argentina) 1 SUPERIOR 13
Argentinian hard wheat 1 with 3 protein levels: 10.5 - 11.5%, 11.6 -
12.5% and over 12.5% protein.
Quality class TDA (Trigo Durum
Argentina) 2 SPECIAL
Argentinian hard wheat 2 with 3 protein levels: 10.0 - 11.0%, 11.1 -
12.0% and over 12.0% protein.
Quality class TDA (Trigo Durum
Argentina) 3 STANDARD
Argentinian hard wheat 3 with 2 protein levels: 10.0 - 11.0% and over
11.0% protein.
6. The Most Common Shortcomings
of Argentinian Wheat
Typical shortcomings are low gluten levels and gluten quality, too
little amylase activity and, in recent years, infestation with Fusarium.
The quantity and quality of the gluten depends on the wheat variety
and the zone. In the southern growing areas, gluten levels of only 18 - 22% are
not uncommon. Moreover, these glutens are often short and have poor extensibility.
Low amylase activity is usual. The typical Falling Numbers are between
350 and 450 s. Very occasionally there are wet harvests in a few zones, and the
Falling Number may then drop to 150 - 250 s.
Infestation with Fusarium has become more common in recent years.
There are no standards of any kind for marketing Fusarium-infested wheat. The mills
rely on visual inspections and try to remove the infested wheat in the cleaning
process. The wheat is then usually ground on a hammer mill and mixed with the bran.
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