The Russian Federation faces a shortage of buckwheat; they import grain from the Middle Kingdom (VIDEO)

Despite the fact that Russia is considered one of the main consuming countries of this cereal, its homeland is China. It would seem that this is where the best buckwheat should be grown, but it turns out that the situation is completely different.

Our country still occupies the leading position in buckwheat cultivation, followed only by the Celestial Empire. However, in years of poor harvest, cereals begin to be imported from Asia. Suffice it to recall 2010, when prices for domestic cereals skyrocketed due to drought. Many experts predict that history will repeat itself, since due to bad weather Russia will once more face a shortage of buckwheat.

According to the forecasts of experts surveyed by Forbes, the cost of production has increased significantly, in contrast to the prices for buckwheat themselves. Because of this, according to forecasts, farmers may reduce the area under cultivation by a third, which will lead to an increase in prices for cereals next year.

In addition, weather forecasters also predict an abnormally hot and dry summer, and experts from the Russian Agricultural Center warn of a locust invasion in the new season in several regions of the Russian Federation, including Altai, Voronezh, Orenburg and Novosibirsk regions, where buckwheat is grown. All this hints that cereals from China have every chance of filling the shelves of Russian stores. But is it so or is it as useful as the domestic one?

“Doctor Peter” talked to Acting. Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the State University of Education Irina Lyalina and found out how to distinguish Russian buckwheat from Chinese, and what danger the former hides.

How to distinguish Chinese buckwheat?

In order to determine, even in the store, where the cereal presented in front of you comes from, you don’t need to tear open the packaging and start carefully examining every grain. All this can be done more carefully and quickly.

Grain color. This is the first characteristic that is worth paying attention to. As a rule, buckwheat from China is several shades darker than domestic buckwheat. There is nothing wrong with this – it happens because of technology. In the Middle Kingdom, cereals are fried twice, most likely in order to eliminate pests and increase shelf life due to humidity. In Russia, they use single roasting.

Grain size. Chinese buckwheat is a smaller, rounded seed. In Russian, there are both small and large buckwheat seeds of an angular-triangular shape.

By smell. Often, buckwheat from China may have a rotten smell due to violation of transportation and storage rules during transportation. Often mold may even appear on it for the same reasons. Of course, it’s not worth buying such buckwheat.

Taste. If you already have a bag of buckwheat at home, then boil it and watch how it cooks. Chinese cereal does not change its rich brown color and remains drier. In addition, it can also be a little bitter due to double frying.

Is Chinese buckwheat fraught with danger?

The specialist explains that in China, buckwheat fields are actively treated with pesticides once morest pests, diseases and weeds. However, similar practices can be applied in any other country, so in this case it is only important to follow the recommendations for the use and dosage of pesticides in order to minimize the risk of negative impacts on the environment and human health.

“Chinese farms prefer to use organic farming methods or alternative pest control methods, and strict food safety standards are being actively implemented, and farmers must follow these standards when processing their crops,” the expert says.

Do not forget that products from China also undergo strict phytocontrol, testing for maximum permissible concentrations of various substances and some other aspects.

All these factors boldly tell us that there is nothing wrong with Chinese buckwheat. We can safely make a choice in its favor, without worrying regarding what consequences may await us in the future. However, there is still one significant drawback to buckwheat from the Middle Kingdom.

“Chinese buckwheat is not as healthy as ours. Buckwheat from China is poor in microelements, since it is grown on depleted soils, without taking into account crop rotation,” the expert concludes.