Country News
Argentina: The Buenos Aires Grain Exchange reports that the corn harvest accelerated on a break in the weather. There were two cargoes of sorghum sold to China with delivery in July. (AgriCensus; Refinitiv)
Brazil: The consultancy AgRural reduced by 1.4 MMT its forecast for the second-crop corn output to 65.3 MMT. Int’l FCStone estimated the second corn crop down 1.75 percent to 72.6 MMT. The government agency Conab cut its estimate for safrinha corn production to 74.233 MMT, and overall crop year production to 100.99 MMT. Persistent drought has harmed production in the central-south part of the country. (Refinitiv; Reuters)
China: The government lowered its estimate for 2019/20 corn consumption by 500 KMT to a total of 82 MMT as higher prices suppressed demand. Its estimate for new crop corn production and imports was not changed and it said prices will fall as a result of imports and sales from reserve stocks. (Reuters)
EU: FranceAgriMer said winter barley production in France will fall by 12 percent to 8.17 MMT but spring barley planted acres in Europe will be up 14 percent over last year. (Reuters)
Russia: The consultancy firm Ozip is estimating barley production to fall 5 percent year-over-year to 19.45 MMT. (The Western Producer)
Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Grains Organization (SAGO) issued a tender seeking 960 KMT of feed barley. (Reuters)
South Africa: The country made its first bulk corn export cargo in 18-months. (AgriCensus)
Ukraine: CPT and FOB corn prices were driven higher due to demand from China. APK-Inform estimates 23 percent reduction in barley production to 6.83 MMT. (AgrCensus; The Western Producer)
Tunisia: The government’s ODC tendered for soft barley with delivery in July-September. (AgriCensus)
Venezuela: A decade ago the country produced 3 MMT of corn and 377 KMT of sorghum but last year it produced just 450 KMT of maize and in 2020 it lacks the fuel to even plant a crop. (Bloomberg)