LONDON: Britain’s wheat imports rose in December and are running at more than double last season’s pace, customs data showed on Friday. Wheat imports for the month totalled 332,458 tonnes, up from 208,948 tonnes in November. Germany was the largest supplier in December, shipping 136,083 tonnes, followed by Denmark with 103,121 tonnes.

Cumulative imports since the start of the 2020/21 season, which started last July 1, totalled 1.43 million tonnes, up from 551,807 tonnes in the same period a year earlier. For the season to date, Germany is the largest supplier to Britain with shipments of 410,844 tonnes.

Imports are expected to climb this season after the nation’s wheat harvest totalled just 9.66 million tonnes last summer, a drop of 40.5% from the previous year. Wheat exports during December totalled 20,165 tonnes. Cumulative exports for the season to date stood at 116,709 tonnes, far below the 841,414 tonnes exported in the same period a year earlier.