Country News
Argentina: The Rosario Grain Exchange says corn planting is at the slowest pace in six years due to drought. Soil moisture levels in key growing areas are at the lowest in a decade. Only 10 percent of the early corn area has been planted and seeds that are sown later usually have lower yields. (Refinitiv)
Brazil: Conab reports that 30.9 percent of the first crop corn is planted and IMEA projects Mato Grosso to produce a record 45.5 MMT. Anec is raising its estimate for corn exports in October to an all time high. (AgriCensus)
EU: Strategie Grains reduced its monthly forecast for EU maize production to 50.4 MMT, a 25 percent reduction from the June forecast. Germany’s association of farm cooperatives says the corn crop this year will be 3.5 MMT, a drop of 20 percent due to drought. Imports of corn from Ukraine have been rushing in and will increase the total intake to 23 MMT. (Reuters)
South Korea: NOFI purchased 30 KMT of barley. (AgriCensus)
Ukraine: Agricultural ministry data shows that first half October exports of mostly corn and wheat were only down 2.4 percent from a year ago. However, this may have involved grain not exported early this year and the trend is in doubt. Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said he is not optimistic about the renewal of a U.N.-brokered deal that resumed Ukraine’s Black Sea exports of grain and fertilizer. He said cooperation with the UN will be impacted if the world body investigates the use of Iranian-built drones in Ukraine. (Reuters)