News

In own November report, the authoritative agency F.O. Licht (Germany) again increased the forecast of the world production of three main grains (wheat, maize and barley) in 2009/10 MY. At the same time, according to Keith Flury, the leading grain expert of the agency, in the current season grain production volumes will not become a little lower compared to the level of 2008/09 MY.

According to estimations of analysts of APK-Inform Agency, in 2009/10 MY, grain export volumes from Russia will decrease by 1.5 mln tonnes compared to 2008/09 MY, and reach the level of 21.3 mln tonnes. The situation the Russian and world markets of grains, and observed tendency of the reduction of grain export shipment during the first four months of the current MY confirm the forecast. In July-October period of 2009, supplies of Russian grains on the world market reduced by 9% compared to the same period of the previous year and totaled 8.2 mln tonnes as opposed to 9.03 mln tonnes in July-October of 2008.

Concern about fungal disease in corn has rippled through both the corn and soymeal futures markets late this week, but on the ground those ripples might not extend beyond parts of the northeast corn belt.

Asurvey of local lenders conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City finds that farmland values in the central Plains/western Corn Belt held steady during the third quarter of the year, despite falling farm income and weaker agricultural credit conditions.