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World Grain, 04/03/2019 - Romania qualifies as one of the Black Sea origins for grain, with Russia and Ukraine, but it also has the advantage of being a member of the European Union (E.U.), with its farmers supported under the E.U.’s Common Agricultural Policy. The country’s farm minister, Petre Daea, is chairing E.U. meetings of national farm ministers during the first half of 2019 as the country holds the revolving Presidency of the Union’s Council of Ministers. That gives Daea the difficult task of steering reform proposals for the difficult task of steering reform proposals for the CAP through ministerial meetings.

Romania is becoming an increasingly important producer and exporter of grains. It serves as a conduit to the outside world for much of southeastern Europe, with grain coming by barge along the Danube. It is an important supplier to destinations in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East as well as to other E.U. countries...

By Jonathan Riley (Farmers Weekly), 15/11/2018

Maize imports, ethanol plant closures and the looming potential of a no-deal Brexit are putting pressure on wheat prices, according to grain traders.

Maize imports are up by one-third and have broken the 540,000t mark since July, HMRC figures show.

In the first three months of this year’s season (July-September 2018) the UK imported 544,000t of maize.

“Because wheat and maize purchases are already on the books, imports will continue to arrive through to next April,” Mr Bright said.

“It means we will have gone from a tight supply to an exportable surplus,” he suggested.

By AgriCensus, 20/02/2019 - Brazil’s position as one of the few exporters prepared to run the gamut of US sanctions and supply corn to Iran is helping to upend the country’s export dynamics, as geopolitics, trade fears and economics sees southern states exchange Brazilian corn for Argentine imports.

“The crazy thing is that ports in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina are exporting corn this month – this is not normal at all,” one market source told Agricensus.

The news comes as the same states – which are home to a significant chunk of Brazil’s livestock sector – have imported corn from Argentina in recent days, in a move that often reflects Brazil’s high domestic prices and poor internal supply logistics.

“The state of Santa Catarina normally buys some corn from Argentina and Paraguay because those countries are close, because Santa Catarina needs more corn than it is able to grow and because it’s cheaper to buy corn from those countries,” Agrural’s Daniele Siqueira told Agricensus.

Which is where geopolitics kicks in – Iran has been increasingly reliant upon Brazilian corn supply since US president Donald Trump re-imposed sanctions on the country in December 2018...

Agreste, décembre 2018

L'opinion répandue :

« La productivité des maïs augmente régulièrement mais celle du blé tendre stagne ».

L'Académie d'Agriculture de France nous donne son analyse.

By UkrAgroConsult, 27/11/2018

According to the Ag Ministry’s forecast, the 2018 grain crop in Ukraine will reach its highest since the country’s independence. The record rise in grain production is accounted for by an abundant crop of corn, which is estimated by the Ministry to amount to 34.8 MMT, reports UkrAgroConsult.

The corn harvest was 94% complete as of November 26, 2018. Farmers had obtained 32.9 MMT of grain (21.1 MMT in 2017) with an average yield of 7.64 MT/ha (5.35 MT/ha in 2017).