Archive for 2021

KIEV, UKRAINE — With the 2020-21 marketing year coming to a close, Ukraine’s grain exports had declined by 22% compared to the previous year, to 43.4 million tonnes, according to the country’s agriculture ministry data reported by Reuters.

Included in that total is 16.3 million tonnes of wheat, 22.3 million tonnes of corn and almost 4.15 million tonnes of barley.

Total grain production for the 2020-21 season, which ends June 30, is 65 million tonnes, with a final export total projected at ...

BERLIN, GERMANY — At this week’s G20 Meeting of the Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS-G20), Wheat Initiative participants stressed the importance of scientific research that is based on internationally consistent regulation.

Representing the Wheat Initiative during the meeting were Peter Langridge, chair of the scientific board, and Teresa Saavedra, program manager.

They noted that a major focus of the recent Wheat Initiative activities has been wheat genetic improvement combined with agronomic interventions to address crop adaptability and reduced reliance on external inputs of ...

ALGIERS, ALGERIA — Algeria rejected 27,000 tonnes of French milling wheat after two dead animals were found in the cargo, according to the country’s agriculture minister, Reuters reported.

Algerian authorities are seeking reimbursement for the shipment, which will be sent back to France.

The dead animals were found in two separate batches of the cargo, the minister said.

Algeria is a top wheat importer and France is one of its main suppliers.

Source: World Grain

WASHINGTON, DC, US — US corn and sorghum exports ticked up in the 2020-21 marketing year based on strong foreign demand and reduced competition, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture.

Lowered corn crop output supplies in Brazil and strong demand have set US corn exports for the 2020-21 marketing year to estimate about 73 million tonnes. If realized, it would be the largest US corn export season ever and valued at $17.9 ...

PORT OF JOHNSTOWN, ONTARIO, CANADA — The Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has launched a new C$165.7 million Agricultural Clean Technology Program.

The goal is to help create climate-smart agriculture through research, innovation and adoption of clean technologies, including dedicated support for farmers to help reduce grain drying costs.

During a virtual visit at the Port of Johnstown, an intermodal port on the St. Lawrence Seaway and the largest grain storage facility in Eastern Ontario, Neil Ellis, parliamentary secretary, announced the program ...

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US — The EU and United States have made steps to end their trade dispute concerning aircraft carrier tariffs with the introduction of a cooperative framework.

According to the US Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG), the dispute caused the EU to place retaliatory tariffs on non-durum wheat, which blocked an average of annual imports of more than 538,000 tonnes of mainly US hard red spring and some hard red winter wheat.

The new cooperative ...

SOFIA, BULGARIA — Favorable weather in April and May are expected to increase Bulgaria’s wheat and barley production in the 2021-22 marketing year, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The country’s wheat production is estimated to total 6.05 million tonnes in the 2021-22 marketing compared to the previous forecast of 5.9 million tonnes. Exports of wheat and products throughout February 2021 were 2.37 million tonnes, which, according to the USDA, marked a ...

WASHINGTON, DC, US — The Consumer Price Index for baked foods and cereal products increased 0.4% in May, its fourth straight month of gains, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor. The index for all food at home rose 0.3%.

Of the 18 items followed by Milling & Baking News, a sister publication of World Grain, 14 posted month-over-month increases and 4 posted declines.

The May index for Cereals and Bakery Products before seasonal adjustment was ...

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, US – After 60 years of operating in a planned economy, India’s agricultural sector is changing course. Last fall, after contentious debate, India’s parliament passed three laws designed to liberalize sales of agricultural products and pave the way for the country to become a powerhouse exporter.

Advocates of the new free market system say allowing the private sector to play a bigger role will spur land consolidation and investment in mechanization, as well as generate economies of scale ...

MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA — Canadian National Railway Co. (CN) and Kansas City Southern (KCS) have moved a step closer in their merger process, filing certain documents with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) that will allow the STB to review the voting trust in connection with the definitive merger agreement between CN and KCS. In mid-May, CN agreed to acquire KCS in a transaction valued at $33.6 billion.

The newly filed documents include written opinions of financial advisers, debt commitment letters and ...