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France lowers 2024-25 wheat production outlook

  • Spanish Market: Agriculture
  • 17/09/24

French wheat output in 2024-25, excluding durum, is now estimated at 25.78mn t by French agricultural ministry agency Agreste, down by 540,000t from its August projections.

The agency attributed the cut to unfavourable weather conditions, with average yields estimated at 6.15t/hectare (ha). This compares with average yields pegged at 6.24t/ha in the agency's projections last month.

Agreste now pegs France's durum wheat production at 1.18mn t, down from the 1.19mn t it forecast in August.

Barley estimates also took a hit, with the agency now seeing France's total winter and spring barley production at 10.05mn t, down from 10.4mn t last month.

Spring crops fared better since Agreste's August report, with corn output projections rising to 14.39mn t, up from the 14.01mn t the agency forecast last month. It expects a year-on-year increase in both planted areas and yields for French corn.

And sunflower seed and rapeseed production forecasts were each raised by 10,000t, to 1.86mn t and 3.95mn t, respectively. But less favourable weather means both oilseed crops are scheduled to decline year on year.


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Brazil's Parana ports handle record cargo in Aug


16/09/24
16/09/24

Brazil's Parana ports handle record cargo in Aug

Sao Paulo, 16 September (Argus) — The Paranagua and Antonina ports, in Brazil's southern Parana state, handled a record amount of cargo in August thanks to increased fertilizer imports. The two ports handled 6.9mn metric tonnes (t) of cargo in August, up by 14pc from the same month in 2023 and above the prior record of 6.6mn t in June, according to Parana's port authority data. That also surpassed July's handling by 20pc. Imports totaled 2.5mn t last month, a 41pc hike from August 2023 and above the 2.2mn t handled in July. Fertilizer imports increased by 59pc to 1.2mn t in August from a year before and were 29pc — or 265,170t — above the prior month's imports. Exports reached 4.4mn t, up from 4.3mn t in August 2023 and a near 27pc increase from July's exports. Soybean shipments rose by 10pc to 1.9mn t in August from the same month last year. That was also above the 1.3mn t exported in the previous month. Corn exports decreased by 77pc to 72,900t, down from 316,430t shipped in August 2023 and almost in line with July's exports. Exports of bulk sugar increased by 34pc to 836,430t last month from the same period a year ago. That was also up by 77pc from July's exports. Parana ports handled 46.4mn t in January-August, up by 10pc from the same period in 2023, also boosted by higher imports. Imports increased by 23pc to 17.2mn t. Fertilizer imports rose by 14pc to 6.9mn t, up from 6mn t in January-August 2023. Exports totaled 29.2mn t, a 4pc increase from the same eight months last year. Soybean shipments rose by 11pc to 11.2mn t in the period, while corn exports dropped by 80pc to 581,730t from the same eight-month period in 2023. Wheat exports in January-August more than tripled to 171,830t from the same period a year before. Sugar shipments increased by 46pc to 4.2mn t. By Maria Albuquerque Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

India hikes import duties on vegetable oils


16/09/24
16/09/24

India hikes import duties on vegetable oils

Kyiv, 16 September (Argus) — India has sharply increased duties on crude and refined vegetable oils in a bid to reduce imports and protect local oilseed farmers. Import duties on crude palm oil (CPO), sunflower oil (SFO) and soybean oil (SBO) will increase to 27.5pc, from 5.5pc, while duties on refined oils, like RBD palm olein, are now set at 37.75pc, compared with 13.75pc earlier. The new rates came into effect on 14 September. The move might reduce overseas imports of CPO, SBO and SFO, and support local oilseed prices, before regional elections. On Monday, SFO was offered to India at about $1,060/t for October-November shipment, compared with $1,045-1,050/t a week ago. The higher import duties could pressure palm oil prices. Palm oil imports represent the biggest share in India's overall vegetable oils purchases at 7.64mn t so far this season, down from 9.79mn t a year earlier. India — the world's largest vegetable oil importer — received 13.69mn t of vegoils in November 2023-August 2024, the first 10 months of the vegetable oil year. SBO imports in August reached 455,000t, the highest since the start of the 2023-24 marketing year in November. By Kristin Yavorska Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Hurricane Francine brings rain to the lower Miss. River


13/09/24
13/09/24

Hurricane Francine brings rain to the lower Miss. River

Houston, 13 September (Argus) — Hurricane Francine dropped 4-8 inches of rain around the lower Mississippi River, raising forecast water levels on the river and potentially improving shipping conditions for barges. Points between Cairo, Illinois, and Vicksburg, Mississippi, that were at their low water thresholds over the week are now forecast to exit those thresholds in the coming week according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Increased rainfall from Hurricane Francine has locations like Greenville, Mississippi and Helena, Arkansas entering regular water levels as soon as this weekend. Other locations, such as Memphis, Tennessee, will see a bump in water levels, but will remain at its low water threshold, said NWS. The US Coast Guard has not made any changes to the draft and towing restrictions since 10 September when they changed the point for heavier loading from Greenville, Mississippi, to Vicksburg for southbound limits. More water is likely to enter the lower Mississippi River through its tributaries in the coming days, after Francine has passed the Mississippi Delta. The storm made landfall as a hurricane on the Louisiana coast the evening of 11 September but downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved northward. By Meghan Yoyotte Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Unstable prices rein in Brazil corn sales


13/09/24
13/09/24

Unstable prices rein in Brazil corn sales

Sao Paulo, 13 September (Argus) — Brazil's 2023-24 winter corn crop sales accelerated in August, but maintained an uneven pace, as farmers take their cues from price and exchange rate variations when deciding whether to negotiate. The current cycle ended August with over 48pc of the harvest sold, according to market participant estimates. That means producers traded almost 44mn metric tonnes (t) of the 90.3mn t produced so far in the 2023-24 season, according to national supply company Conab's latest outlook . Sales advanced by approximately 8mn t since the end of July, when negotiations were estimated at 40pc of the harvest. The pace accelerated in comparison with previous months, but progress is still uneven. Low international grain prices have been discouraging negotiations since the 2022-23 season, when the oversupply on the global market started leading to sharp losses that continue to this day. The front-month CBOT corn contract fell to 362¢/bu on 26 August, its lowest level since November 2019. Occasional price gains and the depreciation of the Brazilian real to the US dollar encouraged producers to negotiate more aggressively, which was followed by a period of fewer transactions after prices renewed declines and the country's currency recovered, bringing in fewer reals for each dollar-denominated sale. Sales were more intense at the beginning of August, as the Brazilian real depreciated to R5.74 to the US dollar on 5 August, its weakest since March 2021. But the real started to strengthen soon after that, discouraging sales for most of the month. Activity only picked up significantly once again after 26 August, when the US dollar began to appreciate again and the CBOT contracts began rising again following an attack on nuclear units on Ukraine — a key grain producer — and higher demand for US product. Farmers maintained the accelerated momentum in early September, despite continuing to prefer sales of the higher-priced soybean. This recent rush to trade volumes happens as producers are eager to acquire inputs — such as fertilizers and seeds — for the next crop. But the 2023-24 sales pace is below what is considered ideal progress of at least 60pc of the harvest negotiated at this time of year, according to market participants. The five-year average for winter corn sales is at over 65pc by the end of August. Most demand for Brazilian corn comes from the domestic market, which is also paying higher prices than the export market. That leads farmers to prefer negotiating with the animal feed and corn ethanol sectors. Mato Grosso state — Brazil's largest corn producer — accounted for about 5.6mn t sold last month, with most volumes going to the corn ethanol units in the state and in neighbors Goias and Mato Grosso do Sul states. Ethanol industry association Unica estimates that corn ethanol production in the center-south totaled 348.6mn liters (147,110 b/d) in the second half of August, up by 47pc from the same period a year before. Production since April — when the crop year for ethanol started — totals 3.1bn l, an almost 27pc hike on the year. Forward sales for the 2024-25 winter corn crop — which will begin sowing in January — have begun, in line with the historical track, as forward sales usually kick off in July-August. Producers dealt forwardly up to 5mn t by the beginning of September. There is no official outlook for the 2024-25 crop just yet, as Conab will release the first estimate for the season on 15 October. Soybean sales Brazilian farmers sold approximately 77pc of the 2023-24 soybean crop by the end of August, market participants estimate. That means negotiations advanced by almost 6mn t to 113.5mn t throughout the month, still far from Conab's production outlook of 147.4mn t. The current progress is ahead of the almost 75pc sold in the 2022-23 crop at this time in 2023. But volumes are nearly 3mn t behind in absolute numbers, as the previous season produced a record 154.6mn t. The average for this time of year is of over 80pc negotiated. Low international soybean prices hampered sales amid an oversupplied global market in the past two years. The weaker real at the beginning and at the end of August also boosted soybean negotiations last month. Additionally, the last week of August was marked by rising CBOT futures, as Chinese demand returned to the market more aggressively. Forward sales of the 2024-25 soybean crop were approximately at 20pc — or 33.8mn t — of an expected production of 169mn t, according to US Department of Agriculture projections. There was a reported monthly advance of almost 3 percentage points, or around 5mn t. But the late-August average is of at least 30pc sold, according to market participants. The pace of sales was also quick at the start of September. Market participants estimate negotiations reached approximately 22pc of the estimated volumes through the second week of the month, while the start of the soybean planting window may also drive deals in the coming months. By Nathalia Giannetti Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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