Grain Highlights 29.05.2024

After a six-year hiatus, India will again become a wheat importer in the new 2024/25 season.

- Participants in the grain market in Russia will not be able to sell their production without a sample and quality analysis document. Declaring the harvested crop will also be mandatory, which is another requirement for sale. The documents will be free for farmers. Control over all market operations is being established after four large Russian corporations took control of the export.

- IKAR predicts grain exports from Russia in June at 4.5 million tons (5 million in May).

- According to NASS data as of May 26, 2024, 88% of the planned spring wheat areas in the United States have been sown (79% a year earlier and 81% on average over the last five years). Corn has been sown on 83% of the planned areas (89% and 82%).

- The wheat harvesting campaign is underway in China. So far, 4 million hectares or 20% of the areas have been harvested.

- CEC forecasts a corn production in South Africa of 13.31 million tons (13.91 in the previous estimate), including 6.34 million tons of white corn and 6.97 million tons of yellow corn. The soybean production is projected at 1.78 million tons (1.81). In 2023, the corn production was 16.43 million tons, and soybean production was 2.77 million tons.

- The South Korean association KFA has purchased 66,000 tons of corn in a private deal after canceling a tender for the purchase of 138,000 tons of corn. The deal price is 254.5 USD/ton, sourced from South America or South Africa.

- After a six-year hiatus, India will again become a wheat importer in the new 2024/25 season. After the elections, authorities will cancel the 40% import tax. The country has the potential to import 3-5 million tons of wheat during the season. The harvesting began in April. The government has already purchased 26.2 million tons of wheat from farmers to replenish state reserves, which were at their lowest level in the last 16 years at the end of April. The goal is for the state to purchase 30-32 million tons of wheat from farmers.

- The Egyptian government has announced that it will certify wheat suppliers from Zimbabwe, Mexico, and Sweden with the possibility of purchases from these destinations in 2025/26. Currently, there are approved suppliers from 22 countries. Maximum diversification of suppliers is sought, given the difficulties faced by some of them at certain times. It should be noted that these countries are not major wheat exporters, and whether the quality of their produce meets Egypt's requirements is questionable.

- Jordan has canceled a tender for the purchase of 120,000 tons of milling wheat of unspecified origin. The next tender will be held on June 4, 2024, with delivery within July-August.