It is the primary source of many wheat flours. In addition to flour, wheat is available in several other forms, including wheat berries, cracked wheat, and bulghur wheat. Wheat berries are whole, unprocessed kernels, whereas cracked wheat is the whole berry broken into coarse, medium, and fine fragments. Both are sold in health-food stores and may be cooked as cereal, or in pilafs, breads, or other dishes. Global production of wheat is now approaching 600 million tons, with international trade approximately 100 million tons annually.
Wheat is Asia's second most important staple and has been growing much faster than rice.
It now makes up 19.2 percent of total calorie supply. Asia is the leader in all three growth parameters-area, output, and yield. For the developing regions as a whole, the annual demand for wheat is projected to grow at 3 percent over the coming decade. Demand will rise particularly rapidly in Sub-Saharan Africa, at 5.1 percent per annum, and at 2.9 percent in other regions. The MENA region consumed 160 percent of the wheat it produces, indicating the continuing need for heavy imports.