Durum wheat, the Single National Commission (Cun) for official quotations kicks off

First (upward) fixing of national durum wheat prices by the new Single National Commission, which met at the ministry for the first time on 30 March and is to replace the local commodity exchanges. "After years of only announcements and broken promises, today saw the first meeting of the National Single Commission (Cun), which brings together producers and processors to identify the price of wheat and make the supply chain sustainable for both producers and processors.

This was announced in a note the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida. "The durum wheat is an important crop," he added, "necessary for symbolic products that contribute to the results of our agri-food industry. The Cun is an instrument that can guide production and processing with transparency and give Italia's product the right recognition. I thank all the members of the Cun for their collaboration on this useful tool that, I am sure, will give stability and prospects to our agriculture and our agri-food chains'.

At the opening, the commissioners agreed on the updating of the list products and defined their quality characteristics; subsequently, the plenary session reached agreement on the definition of the indicative prices. The work of the Cun will now continue on a regular basis, with the objective of confirming itself as the central tool for the formulation of indicative prices "and guaranteeing balance and stability," emphasises Masaf, "in commercial transactions in the sector. To date, the reference point for national durum wheat quotations, in the fragmented system of commodity exchanges, are the one in Foggia which quotes on Wednesdays, Bologna (on Thursdays) and the Granaria in Milan on Tuesdays (although the latter is used more as a reference for soft wheat, maize and soya prices).

The Cun will have the task of identifying the indicative price of national durum wheat and the relative market trends, interrupting the old quotations of Foggia and Bologna, with (a significant novelty) a new structure of the national price list differentiated by quality: 'fine high protein' (15% protein), 'fine protein' (14%), 'fine' (13% in the North, 12% in the South) and 'conventional' (11.5%).

This is, explains the Coldiretti, a significant development, which allows a more realistic interpretation of the durum wheat market, enhancing the different qualitative characteristics of the productions, a decisive element for the processing industry that until now has not been sufficiently defined by local price lists. The price of Cun will also be the reference for supply chain contracts to which public subsidies, which have just been doubled to 40 million for 2026, can be linked.