Country News
Brazil: A fire at the Port of Santos has burned for over a week and has blocked truck access for grain deliveries, according to Reuters. The fire has been concentrated in a fuel storage area and firefighters have had a difficult time preventing reignition in fuel tanks after being extinguished. Ship movement in the port has been restricted and cannot refuel. The fire is not expected to impact this month’s grain export volume, as the port has large stocks on hand, however this could change if truck traffic is delayed for long. Santos handles roughly half of Brazil’s annual corn exports.
Saudi Arabia: The minister of water and electricity announced this week that Saudi Arabia will be looking to cease all barley production in favor of imports as part a of a broader national effort to curb wasting water supplies in the desert country, according to Bloomberg News.
South Africa: Africa’s largest corn producer has imported yellow corn for the first time since April 2014, reports Bloomberg News. The worst drought since 1992 has negatively impacted the country’s corn production, which has led the importation of 21,137 MT from Argentina. South Africa is expected to produce 9.67 MMT of corn this year, which would be the smallest harvest since 2007.