WASHINGTON, DC, US —Flour production in the second quarter of 2021 totaled 103.32 million cwts, up 1.27 million, or 1.2%, from 102.05 million a year ago, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the US Department of Agriculture.  Second-quarter 2021 production was down 0.6% from 103.929 million in the second quarter of 2019.Production in the first quarter of 2021 was 103.635 million cwts.

January-June flour output aggregated 206.955 million cwts, down 1.6% from 210.227 million in the first half of 2020 and 210.757 million in January-June 2019.

US 24-hour capacity in April-June was 1,585,762 cwts, unchanged from the first quarter and down from 1,627,160 cwts a year back.

Flour mill operating rate in April-June was at 84.6%, down from 86% in January-March but up from 81.5% in April-June 2020.

Wheat grind in the second quarter at 223.289 million bushels was down 0.5% from 224.523 million in the first quarter but up 1.8% from 219.302 million a year ago.

Millfeed output in April-June totaled 1,627,509 tons, against 1,630,891 in the first quarter and 1,557,553 a year ago.

April-June semolina production tumbled 21% to 7.247 million cwts from the record 9.155 million cwts a year ago and down 4.9% from 7.622 million cwts in 2019. It also was down 10.4% from 8.086 million in the first quarter this year. Semolina output in the first half of 2021 totaled 15.333 million cwts, down 11.3% from 17.295 million a year back but down slightly from 15.527 million cwts in January-March 2019.

NASS data are now available for 28 consecutive quarters.

US flour production ex-semolina in the second quarter was 96.073 million cwts, up 3.4% from 92.895 million a year ago. It was 96.307 million cwts in 2019.

Rye flour production in the second quarter totaled 201,000 cwts, down from 209,000 in the first quarter and down from 204,000 a year ago.