The Covid-19 pandemic brought issues such as agriculture, nutrition, food safety and security to the top of the agenda. Therefore, with the pandemic, many countries decided to restrict exports of agricultural products, particularly grains. The world is now more interested in agriculture, food, climate change and drought. The pandemic showed that nothing in the world is more important than feeding people and living things and their survival. 

After the pandemic, we can say that we are in a new era where the strategic significance of agriculture and food is increasing. Protectionism and food nationalism are on the rise. For example, grain exporting countries are imposing quotas and additional taxes on exports to secure their own needs and balance the domestic market. Countries now prefer to keep larger amounts of grain stocks. 

It is concerned that such measures may create supply and demand shocks in the short term in agricultural production, food manufacturing, supply chain and access to food. The UN warns that restrictions on trade in agriculture and food will make it difficult for the world's poor population to access food. The fact that prices of grain, particularly wheat, are the highest of the last seven years this year demonstrates how accurate this warning is. 

In this new period, there is no doubt that the use of technology in agriculture will increase. The restriction of human movements due to the pandemic and the shrinkage of workforce opportunities will increase the demand for technology. Technology-intensive work will be carried out in many areas, particularly in agricultural spraying, planting and harvesting. Drone technology, sensors and remote sensing systems will become more and more widespread in the agricultural world. The significance of e-commerce in the agriculture and food industries will increase.

It is also necessary for the flour milling sector to keep pace with this transformation. With the development of technology, the era of self-determining and self-assessing production facilities, in which all components of machinery communicate with each other, is starting. In this regard, the opening of Bühler’s first Mill E3 in England is a milestone in the development of the industry. It will be a key staging post in the journey to the smart mill and an example for others to follow.