Russian missiles strike grain ships
A Russian missile struck a grain vessel docked at the Port of Odesa on Oct. 7, killing one person and injuring five crew members, Reuters reported, citing Ukrainian officials. It was the second attack on a docked grain ship in Ukraine in as many days, as a vessel at the nearby Port of Pivdennyi carrying 6,000 tonnes...
Grain market review: Coarse grains
The last several weeks have seen a mixed trend for maize (corn), although there was weakness in the United States on planting and yield expectations. The July World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report from the US Department of Agriculture added more bullish ideas on demand to the factors involved. In its Grain Market...
Ukraine to plant more oilseeds.
While Ukrainian farmers are expected to plant more oilseeds, with the exception of sunflowers, production volumes in 2024-25 could be dampened by lower yields. Soybean production area is estimated at 2.1 million hectares, an 18% increase, and rapeseed area is estimated at 1.5 million hectares, a 7% increase, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture. Sunflower seeds production area is about the same at 5 million hectares.
Discord impacting EU grain, feed industries
Intensifying protests have left the Ukrainian-European Union (EU) border nearly paralyzed, jeopardizing one of the export lifelines of the reeling Ukrainian economy. The rally backed by farmers all over the bloc, however, is increasingly seen as an attempt to revolt against the EU’s environmental policy. Footage of grain spilled from a truck near the Shehyni-Medyka checkpoint on the Ukraine-Poland border has quickly become viral on social media networks, turning into a symbol of the growing dissent on the economic and,…
Geopolitics’ impact on global grain market
When Russia signed an agreement in October to supply China with 70 million tonnes of grain, legumes and oilseeds over the next 12 years, a comment made several years ago by Stefan Vogel, Rabobank’s global sector strategist for grains and oilseeds, came to mind. Vogel, in a conversation with World Grain in the fall of 2021, said given the growing political tension between longtime agricultural trade partners China and the United States, it was possible that Russia, which is more…
Ukraine grain exports down sharply from last year
Ukraine’s grain exports are continuing to fall significantly behind the pace a year ago, with 13.4 million tonnes exported so far, compared to 18.3 million tonnes last year, according to data from the agriculture ministry. The exports include 5.9 million tonnes of wheat, 6.5 million tonnes of corn and 876,000 tonnes of barley. By this time last year, Ukraine had exported 6.9 million tonnes of wheat, 9.8 million tonnes of corn and 1.48 million tonnes of barley.
Ukraine ‘humanitarian corridor’ exports near 4 million tonnes
Ukraine has exported nearly 4 million tonnes via its “humanitarian corridor” since shipments started in August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Nov. 14, Reuters reported.
UN, Russian officials discuss grain exports
Talks aimed at providing Ukraine and Russia “unimpeded access” to global grain and fertilizer markets were held between the United Nations and Russian officials Oct. 9 in Moscow, Reuters reported. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said top UN trade official Rebeca Grynspan was in Moscow and UN aid chief Martin Griffiths joined the talks virtually.
More ships using Ukrainian seaports
Three ships left Ukrainian ports on Oct. 1, and five more ships are on their way to ports using a new corridor opened by Ukraine mainly for agricultural exports as an alternative to the Black Sea Grain Initiative quit by Russia, Reuters reported. “Five new vessels are waiting to be loaded in Ukrainian ports,” Ukraine Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on the X social media platform. “Bulk carriers OLGA, IDA, DANNY BOY, FORZA DORIA, NEW LEGACY are going to…
Ukraine exports plunge by 51%
Ukraine grain exports from Sept. 1-24 fell by 51% compared with the same period in 2022, Reuters reported, citing data from Ukraine’s agriculture ministry. The war-torn country has seen its grain infrastructure under attack by Russia since it withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative on July 17. It exported 1.57 million tonnes of grain during the first...