Country News
Argentina: Grain shipments from the port of Rosario resumed this week after several unions suspended their strikes after having met with management and in anticipation of talks with the government, according to Reuters. The strikes came at the height of the exporting season and sought higher wages for port workers as Argentina’s very high inflation rates continue to erode the value of a paycheck. The unions maintain that this lull could be temporary pending the outcome of their negotiations.
Brazil: Soaking rains are predicted for southeastern Brazil through next week, which could bring the country’s winter corn harvest to a halt, according to Reuters. The time between May and September is generally a dry season in Brazil, but meteorologists are predicting that the country will receive 5-15 mm of rain per day. The month of July generally averages 20 mm of rain total. The rains are also likely to suspend production in the country’s ethanol mills and slow grain loading at the ports of Santos and Paranagua.
France: France will be making substantial barley sales to China early in the 2014/15 season, reports Reuters. France has exported 228,000 MT of barley to China since 1 July, which is already larger than the annual average of 180,000 MT of it has exported to China over the past five years. Further, animal feed barley is making up a portion of these shipments, in contrast to years previous when malting barley was what Chinese buyers usually booked. A large harvest in tandem with cheap prices have made French barley attractive on the global market.
South Africa: Yellow corn for December delivery in Africa’s largest corn producing country currently stands at $177.61/MT, according to Bloomberg News.
Ukraine: Ukraine’s winter barley harvest is now 97 percent complete, reports Reuters. Net yields are currently standing at 5.5 MT per hectare, which is an increase of 49 percent from the levels seen in 2013.