The Chelyabinsk region is expanding its capacity in durum wheat cultivation.

Last year, the Chelyabinsk Region harvested the highest durum wheat harvest in the country – 571,000 tons. A seminar was held for farms specializing in this crop, featuring leading South Ural and Russian scientific organizations that presented new, in-demand varieties and technologies. Harvest marketing opportunities were also discussed .
The seminar, dedicated to the development of sustainable production of high-quality durum wheat, was held at Borovoe LLC in the Bredinsky District.
Anna Kozhevina, HEAD of the Department for the Development of Crop Production and Small Farming at the regional Ministry of Agriculture, noted that the Chelyabinsk Region is one of the few regions in RUSSIA where durum wheat is grown, and that the region has significantly increased its sown area and yield in recent years:
"In 2024 , for the first time in the region's history, South Ural farmers harvested 571,000 tons of durum wheat. This ranks first in Russia for gross harvest, accounting for approximately 20% of the Russian durum harvest. In 2025, the durum wheat sowing area in the region will be 185,000 hectares. The Chelyabinsk Region has all the conditions for growing high-quality durum wheat: the climate in the southern part of the region, with many warm and dry days, and the highly competent enterprises cultivating this rather demanding crop.
The Agroliga Rossii Group of Companies, which has long been working on a program to develop durum wheat varieties with quality that meets international standards, participated in the seminar.
As Sergey Groshev, head of the company's Durum Wheat project, noted, annual durum wheat production worldwide accounts for only 5% of soft wheat production. And, despite CANADA currently being the largest exporter of durum wheat , Russia has territories with a favorable climate for this crop, and therefore, the potential to increase its production.
"Today, consumers dictate the terms when choosing high-quality pasta on store shelves that has a beautiful golden color and does not overcook," Sergey Groshev noted. "Therefore, pasta producers have specific requirements for the purchased grain, including its color (the yellowness index must be 25% or higher) and gluten content (the gluten index must be 60-70% or higher). Premium Category A pasta is made from these raw materials.
Agroliga offers its own varieties that meet these requirements: Taganrog, Bourbon, and Nikola. Furthermore, Sergey Groshev noted that the Chelyabinsk Region, along with the Orenburg Region, has unique natural conditions for growing that golden, high-quality grain."
The Chelyabinsk Research Institute of Agriculture has long been working on durum wheat. Researchers at the institute developed the "Larisa Yantarnaya" variety, which was included in the state register in 2023. South Ural enterprises are already introducing it into industrial production. This year, the Chelyabinsk Research Institute of Agriculture is opening a durum wheat department, which will help strengthen breeding efforts. It will be headed by Yuri Pryadun, PhD in Agricultural Sciences and the institute's Deputy DIRECTOR for Implementation and Research and Innovation.
Harvest marketing opportunities were also discussed at the seminar. Experts from Granex presented EXPORT forecasts for this crop: due to sanctions, Russia cannot export grain to Europe. The current export potential lies in North Africa (Tunisia, Algeria), but given durum wheat prices , it is more profitable for farmers to rely on domestic processing.
This is another advantage of the Chelyabinsk Region, the country's largest grain processor. In 2024, the region once again ranked first in pasta production, with output reaching 309,700 tons, accounting for 20.6% of the Russian market. Large export-oriented companies operate in the region, which will always have a demand for durum wheat. For example, Makfa can process 60-70% of the durum wheat grown in the region and currently supplies pasta to 25 countries. Company representatives provided a detailed description of grain procurement this year.
Seminar participants examined durum wheat crops of the varieties discussed by the scientists in the field , assessing their quality and the potential of each variety.