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East Asian importers buy record volumes of Indian wheat

  • : Agriculture
  • 22/04/01

Key importers in east Asia have stepped up their Indian wheat purchases this year, with record volumes scheduled to be shipped to South Korea and Vietnam in early April, following India's bumper harvest and declining wheat and corn arrivals to the region from other parts of the world.

About 72,600t of wheat are scheduled to be shipped to Vietnam by the middle of next week from India's Kandla port. At the same time, combined volumes of South Korea-bound wheat cargoes between mid-March and the first week of April were seen at 270,000t, line-up data show.

The Philippines, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar and Bangladesh — the primary buyer of Indian wheat — were also seen to receive cargoes from Kandla, as well as the port of Mundra, shipped between early March and April.

India resumed its wheat exports to South Korea this year after a six-year break. Its combined shipments since the start of the country's wheat 2021-22 marketing year in April 2021 and January 2022 hit 131,400t. South Korea last imported large volumes of Indian wheat in 2013-14, when exports totalled 546,200t.

Exports to Vietnam also picked up this year for the first since 2014-15, totalling 15,700t in April 2021-January 2022. With shipments to Vietnam previously peaking at 77,000t in 2013-14, currently scheduled cargoes would bring Vietnam's wheat receipts from India to a record.

This comes as India's bumper harvest has boosted the country's exports to all-time highs in 2021-22. Shipments of wheat totalled 5.96mn t in April-January, up from 1.19mn t in the same period in 2020-21, including new east Asian markets such as Indonesia and the Philippines.

Most east Asian buyers initially turned to India for feed wheat supply in a bid to replace reduced arrivals of corn from Brazil. But more recently, shipment disruptions from Ukraine and Russia, paired with logistical limits to wheat shipments from Australia prompted the region to turn to India for milling wheat as well.

South Korea's corn imports fell to 7.34mn t from 7.87mn t in the first eight months of the country's 2021-22 marketing year (July 2021-June 2022), with receipts of Brazilian crop falling to just 741,000t from 2.4mn t a year earlier. At the same time, the country's wheat imports rose to 3.2mn t from 2.37mn t in July 2020-February 2021.

South Korea's higher feed wheat purchases meant other producers of the crop also stepped up exports to the destination, with receipts from Bulgaria and Romania reaching new highs.

But the recent decline in Argentinian corn prices, paired with expectations of record corn production in Brazil in the coming harvest, could bring east Asian buyers back to corn purchases. South Korea was heard to have booked an Argentinian cargo of corn this week at a 50-55¢/bu premium over the Chicago Board of Trade July corn futures contract for June shipment — equalling $380/t cfr — implying that the country's corn import prices reached parity with those of Indian wheat.


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24/11/22

Blenders credit extension stalled in US Senate

Blenders credit extension stalled in US Senate

New York, 22 November (Argus) — A push for US lawmakers to extend various biofuel incentives before the end of the year has met resistance in the Senate. A growing coalition of biofuel and soybean groups has endorsed extending for one year a $1/USG federal tax credit for blenders of biomass-based diesel, which would otherwise expire after December and be replaced by the Inflation Reduction Act's carbon-intensity-based "45Z" credit. But lawmakers have various other priorities in the final weeks of this legislative session, and a staffer with the Democratic-controlled US Senate Finance Committee confirmed that prospects for a deal to extend biofuel tax credits are slim. "Republicans have showed very little interest in working with Democrats on much of anything related to tax," said Ryan Carey, chief communications advisor and deputy policy director at the Committee on Finance. "Their focus is primarily on the next Congress, when they're going to attempt to pass an extension of the first Trump tax law on a partisan basis." Another Senate office acknowledged on background that it is "unlikely" Congress will come to any major tax deal before the end of the year. Congress has other priorities for its brief lame duck session before president-elect Donald Trump begins his second term, including government funding, the federal debt limit, and a new farm bill. Tax policy could still fit into an end-of-year package, with some less controversial tax provisions and a bipartisan business tax proposal backed by Senate Finance Committee chair Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) still under discussion. But prolonging the biodiesel blenders credit — plus other biofuel credits benefiting sustainable aviation fuel and cellulosic fuels that some groups have also pushed to extend — appears to be a tougher lift. With Trump in the White House and Republicans set to control both chambers of Congress, Republicans are now preparing major tax policy legislation next year to prolong tax cuts passed during Trump's first term that are set to expire at the end of 2025. Lawmakers are likely to look at repealing some Inflation Reduction Act clean energy subsidies to help offset the cost of that proposal. Republicans on the House tax-writing committee this week requested public input on the 45Z credit specifically, a signal that they are at least open to modifications — and are already looking to tax policy next year. Biofuel subsidies are seen by analysts and lobbyists as less likely targets for repeal than other Inflation Reduction Act credits, given support for the industry among farm state lawmakers. But the request-for-information this week suggested that Republicans are wary of elements of the current 45Z credit and could support changes that benefit agribusiness. Even biofuel groups generally supportive of the 45Z credit's structure have been frustrated by President Joe Biden's administration, which has yet to issue guidance clarifying how it will calculate the carbon intensities of different fuels and feedstocks. By Cole Martin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Graphjet launches Malaysian biomass-to-graphite plant


24/11/20
24/11/20

Graphjet launches Malaysian biomass-to-graphite plant

Singapore, 20 November (Argus) — Nasdaq-listed Graphjet Technology has started operations at its artificial graphite plant in Malaysia, which will produce battery-grade graphite using recycled palm kernel shells (PKS), the firm said on 19 November. Graphjet's facility has the capacity to produce 3,000 t/yr of graphite by recycling up to 9,000 t/yr of PKS, which is sufficient to produce batteries for 40,000 electric vehicles (EVs)/yr. The firm has already received its first shipment of PKS, it said. Graphjet has another artificial graphite production facility planned in US' Nevada, and it plans to produce hard carbon at the Malaysian facility to use as feedstock at the Nevada facility. The Nevada facility is expected to have the capacity to recycle 30,000 t/yr of PKS to produce 10,000 t/yr of battery-grade artificial graphite and is slated to begin production in 2026, said Graphjet in April. China, the dominant producer of graphite, added a number of graphite products into its export licensing scheme at the end of last year. The move back then alarmed its neighbours, Japan and South Korea , which are major battery-producing countries and they have since been looking to reduce their dependency on Chinese graphite. China's graphite flake exports fell by 23pc to 44,103t during January-September following the exports curb, according to Chinese customs data. By Joseph Ho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US, Norway give $110mn to Brazil Amazon Fund


24/11/18
24/11/18

US, Norway give $110mn to Brazil Amazon Fund

Rio de Janeiro, 18 November (Argus) — The US and Norway will contribute a combined $110mn to Brazil's Amazon Fund to reduce emissions from deforestation and promote sustainable forest management. President Joe Biden announced the US' $50mn contribution to the fund from the Amazonian city of Manaus on Sunday. He is the first sitting US president to visit the Amazon rainforest. This adds to the $50mn disbursed by the US to the fund earlier this year, Biden said. Norway will contribute $60mn, citing a 31pc decrease in Amazon deforestation achieved from August 2023-July 2024. "Brazil's success in reducing deforestation is clear proof of the ambitions and determination of the Lula government," Norway's prime minister Jonas Gahr Store said from Rio de Janeiro. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged zero deforestation by 2030. Norway was the first country to contribute to the Amazon Fund, which was set up during Lula's first term in 2008. It was suspended in 2019 during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, a climate skeptic, and reinstated when Lula returned to power in 2023. Projects worth a record R882mn ($151.6mn) have been approved so far this year according to Brazil's Bndes development bank, which manages the Fund. By Constance Malleret Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Lower Mississippi draft restrictions lifted


24/11/11
24/11/11

Lower Mississippi draft restrictions lifted

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Biodiesel to drive 2025 palm oil prices: IPOC


24/11/08
24/11/08

Biodiesel to drive 2025 palm oil prices: IPOC

Singapore, 8 November (Argus) — Palm oil prices are likely to be supported by tight supplies in 2025, as Indonesia is slated to begin a 40pc biodiesel blending mandate (B40) and crude palm oil (CPO) production growth is slowing, market experts said at the 20th Indonesian Palm Oil Conference and 2025 Price Outlook ( IPOC 2024 ) in Nusa Dua, Bali. Higher blending mandates and tighter supplies may keep CPO futures above 5,000 ringgit/t ($1,130/t) during the first half of 2025, as could firmer lunar new year and Ramzan demand between January-March, Godrej International director Dorab Mistry said. Indonesia plans to implement B40 in 2025, according to its minister of bioenergy Edi Wibowo, before moving to B50 before 2030. If Indonesia enforces B40 as planned, palm oil prices may rally an additional 10-15pc over current prices in the first quarter of 2024, Oil World analyst Thomas Mielke said. But industry experts were sceptical that Indonesia's B40 will materialise, citing current tight supply of CPO and a relatively wide palm oil-gas oil (POGO) spread, which would exert more pressure on government subsidies. Indonesia subsidises biodiesel producers for the difference between gasoil and biodiesel production cost, using funds accrued from export levies on palm oil products. With crude oil prices possibly constrained, higher subsidies will be required to fill the gap, according to consultancy Transgraph's Nagaraj Meda. Subsidies of $5.6bn, $4.76bn, and $3.53bn will be required should Ice Brent crude prices hit $68.50/bl, $75/bl, and $85/bl respectively under B40, Meda said. Under the current B35 programme, biodiesel subsidies have cost the Indonesian government $2.56bn so far in 2024. The export levy structure — which was adjusted in October — is insufficient to fund a B40 programme. "The export levy and tax structure will need revision urgently", Mistry said. Soy soars Palm oil output will grow moderately in 2024-25, while production of rival soybean oil will be higher, the conference heard. Mielke expects palm oil production to increase by 2.3mn t, and soybean oil production to rise by 3.3-3.5mn t. Sunflower and rapeseed oil production will fall by 3.8mn t in 2024-25, he forecasts. Glenauk Economics director Julian McGill said high palm oil prices will drive US biofuels demand towards soybean oil, driving some correction in palm oil prices. Elevated CPO prices are making palm oil mill effluent (Pome) and used cooking oil (UCO) uncompetitive in the EU and US as biofuels feedstocks, reducing demand, he said. Palm oil prices are now well above those for waste oils, which tends to tighten supplies of UCO in southeast Asia as there is less incentive for restaurants and factories to sell their oil. Assuming gasoil prices do not increase, McGill said fundamentals are not enough to support current palm oil prices. He sees the fob Indonesia price returning to $1,000/t before the end of 2024, but said CPO futures on the Bursa Malaysia exchange will remain between $950-1,050/t due to lower stocks following firm exports during 2024. Coconut falls In the lauric oil markets, Mistry is projecting an increase in prices during the 2024-25 period as he expects coconut oil (CNO) production to decrease. He forecasts CNO prices to continue on an upward trend until the second half of 2025, ranging between $1,800–2000/t cif Rotterdam until June. Crude palm kernel oil prices are expected to follow CNO during the same period, Mistry said. By Deborah Sun and Carolina Palma Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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