WASHINGTON -- Flour production in 2012 totaled 420,365,000 cwts, a near record and 2.1% above 2011. It was only the second time U.S. flour production is estimated to have totaled more than 420 million cwts. NAMA retains Veris Consulting, Inc. to conduct the survey of milling companies. Data published in this report are based on figures voluntarily reported by the largest milling companies to Veris. Adjusting the Veris figures (divided by.954) to estimate all U.S. flour production yielded the 2012 figure of 420,365,000 cwts, up from 411,745,000 in 2011. It was the largest since the record 421,270,000 in 2000.
Mills in 2012 operated at 89% of six-day capacity, against 87.4% a year back.
In the fourth quarter alone, the adjusted flour production figure was 106,213,000 cwts, a negligible increase from 105,998,000 cwts in the final quarter of 2011. As reported by Veris (unadjusted), fourth quarter flour production by participating companies was 101,327,000 cwts, up from 101,122,000 cwts in the same period in 2011.
