Canada: Durum production down 12%
Production of Canada’s principal field crops is expected to decrease in 2025-26, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) said in its preliminary outlook for 2025-26 Canadian supply and demand. Forecasted increases in Canadian wheat, barley and oats were more than offset by decreases in corn, canola, soybeans and other crops. The outlook was contained in the...
Rains slow Brazilian soybean harvest
Excessive rains have bogged down Brazil’s soybean harvest for the 2024-25 season, and unfavourable weather has delayed the planting of the second corn crop, Reuters reported, citing agribusiness consultancy AgRural. As of Jan. 17, farmers had harvested just 1.7% of the planted area for the current season, the lowest level for this time of year since...
India’s rice stocks reach record high
While its wheat stocks continue to drop, India’s rice stocks hit a record at the beginning of January, reaching eight times the government’s target, Reuters reported. Rice reserves totaled 60.9 million tonnes on Jan. 1, much higher than the target of 7.6 million tonnes. Wheat stocks were at 18.4 million tonnes, above the target of 13.8 million...
US grain exports in all forms increase 26%
Exports of US grains in all forms increased by 26% to 109.4 million tonnes in the 2023-24 marketing year, according to data released by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The exports, valued at $48 billion, were bolstered by a record 1.75 billion gallons of ethanol sold internationally and a single-market record 23.4 million tonnes...
Drought stymies Brazilian grain shipments
A severe drought in northern Brazil has significantly lowered water levels on the Tapajos waterway, halting grain shipments. Brazilian port terminal group Amport, which represents firms such as Cargill and Louis Dreyfus, told Reuters that navigation of barge convoys carrying grains in the Tapajos has been halted since Oct. 4, and is expected to resume in November if...
India ends non-basmati rice export ban
The Indian government will resume non-basmati white rice exports with a minimum floor price of $490 per tonne, ending a ban that started in July 2023. The government has gradually eased restrictions on premium, aromatic basmati and parboiled varieties in the last several weeks. It eliminated the minimum floor price for basmati rice exports and...
Grains and oilseeds powerhouse
The presence of two of the world’s most important agricultural producers and exporters — Brazil and Argentina — makes South America a powerhouse of world grains and oilseeds production and trade. The two make the region the leader in world soybean production, also producing large crops of maize (corn) and a significant tonnage of wheat....
Brazil’s grain production dips in 2023-24
Grain production in Brazil is estimated at 298.41 million tonnes for the 2023-24 marketing year, a drop of 21.4 million tonnes compared to the previous year, according to Conab, the country’s food supply and statistics agency. This would still be the second largest crop in the survey’s history. In its 12th Grain Harvest Survey for 2023-24...
Dryness stressing Ukraine, Russia crops
As if the Russia/Ukraine war was not enough to deal with, the region has been enduring a very dry summer. Crop stress in the region is peaking for the third time this growing season with very warm to hot temperatures and limited rain. Soil moisture has never been much more than marginally adequate since spring. Recently, the...
Be8 breaks ground on ethanol plant
Be8, a Brazilian renewable energy company, said it has agreed with Praj, an Indian company and global leader in bio-energy, to establish its first ethanol plant in Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul. The plant, which will convert wheat into ethanol, will be the first large-scale refinery in Rio Grande do Sul to produce biofuel...