Snippets

Frontier are currently loading a 55,000 MT vessel in Southampton with UK wheat destined for Vietnam. That should be another step towards hitting Defra's export target for 2009/10. More info here.

Strategie Grains have cut their EU-27 grain production estimate for 2010/11 by 1.7 MMT to 287.8 MMT. Soft wheat output was increased a fraction to 133.1 MMT, although production estimates in France and the UK were reduced by May dryness. Central European yield potential has been reduced by heavy rains and flooding, but that is compensated for by increases to yield expectations in Eastern Europe. Barley output was cut by 800,000 MT to 55.6 MMT, a reduction of 10% on last season.

The Baltic Dry Index extended it's recent slump yesterday closing 127 points lower at 2893 points. That's 31% down since May 26th.

Syria will need to import wheat again this year after a season of drought and disease will potentially cut soft wheat yields in half. More info here.

Harvesting is underway in Southern Bulgaria, with grain production likely to match or slightly better last season, according to the Ag Ministry there. They see wheat production coming in at around 4 MMT, with barley output at around 900,000 MT.

Cold and wet weather is seen delaying the Spanish cereal harvest which is around two weeks behind schedule in Andalusia.

Congestion at Chinese ports is seen becoming a major problem with an estimated 6 MMT of soybeans due to arrive this month. More info here.

A day after the Saudi Ag Minister announced that the Arab Kingdom would hold wheat imports unchanged from 2009 at 2 MMT, they promptly tendered for almost half that amount in one go.

Meanwhile thirty per cent of Saskatchewan cropland and 15 per cent in Manitoba are apparently not yet seeded. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall says: "Many farmers won't get crops in the ground this year, while others have seeded acres now under water. This situation is going to have a serious impact on farm incomes this year."

An estimated 150-200,000 hectares of grains and 40-50,000 ha of rapeseed was lost to the recent floods in Poland, according to the Polish Grain Chamber.