WASHINGTON, DC, US — Flour production in the second quarter of 2023 fell to 102.974 million cwts, according to data issued Aug. 2 by the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the US Department of Agriculture.  Semolina production in the second quarter fell sharply.

Production in the second quarter was down 4.433 million cwts, or 4.1%, from 107.407 million cwts in April-June 2022 and was down 1.833 million cwts, or 1.7%, from the first quarter of 2023.

Other than April-June 2020, an anomalous quarter because of the COVID-19 pandemic, US flour production in the most recent quarter was the smallest three-month period for any quarter in 11 years, or since mills produced 101.936 million cwts of flour in April-June 2012.

Flour mills in the second quarter of 2023 operated at 84.4% of six-day daily milling capacity, compared with 87.6% in the second quarter last year and 86.7% in the first quarter of this year. Again excluding the second quarter of 2020, when mills ran at 81.5% of capacity, the second-quarter operating rate in 2023 was the lowest since 81.9% in July-September 2019.

Daily 24-hour milling capacity in April-June 2023 was 1,584,986 cwts, down 7,344 cwts, or 0.4%, from the second quarter last year, and down 6,000 cwts, or 0.4%, from the first quarter of this year.

Semolina production in the second quarter was 6.938 million cwts, down 549,000 cwts, or 7%, from 7.487 million cwts in the second quarter last year. Production was down a whopping 1.405 million cwts, or 17%, from the first quarter of 2023. Semolina production was the smallest for any quarter in nine years, or since April-June 2014, when production was 6.611 million cwts.

Production of flour excluding semolina in the second quarter was 96.036 million cwts, down 3.884 million cwts, or 3.9%, from 99.920 million cwts in April-June 2022. From the first quarter of this year, flour ex-semolina production was down 428,000, or 0.4%.

Whole wheat flour production in the second quarter was 4.289 million cwts, down 247,000 cwts, or 5%, from 4.536 million cwts in April-June 2022. From the first quarter of this year, whole wheat flour production was down 214,000 cwts, or 4.8%.