THIS season's crop of Group 2 wheat has the right baking quality for Mediterranean blended flour markets, according to the first feedback on initial 2002 harvest samples from key overseas buyers.

A total of the seven different varieties of Group 1, 2 and 3 grain were provided by British Cereal Exports to Portuguese buyers. Of these, Group 2 leader Option, at 307-356 HFN, 11.7-12.9pc protein, 79.3-79.9 kg/hl, was rated particularly highly as a blending wheat.

Key baking characteristics, measured by the buyer's Chopin alveographs, were noticeably better than last year, at 165-179 W and 0.65-0.78 P/L.

Andrew Flux of BCE said they would have a far better idea of the national harvest picture when they had the results of the national Chopin alveograph survey later in the autumn, but initial quality indications for Group 2s for the export market certainly looked promising.