Articles By Masha Belikova

Turkey’s minister of trade Omer Bolat announced to industry representatives on Friday December 20 that the government plans to raise the quota for imported wheat in flour production from 15% to 25%, trade sources told Fastmarkets.

The Russian government has cut its export quota for wheat by 400,000 tonnes for the second half of the marketing year – from February 16 to June 30, an official document dated Wednesday December 18 shows.

Thailand’s Feed Millers’ Association (TFMA) has reportedly booked up to 100,000 tonnes of feed wheat for March- April shipment in its latest tender, which closed on Wednesday December 18.

Russia’s grain sector is operated mostly as an oligopoly and, in some places, as a monopoly, according to an investigation into the financial health of the sector led by a government agency reporting to the country’s state parliament (Duma).

South Korean importers returned to the market after a two-week break, with the Feed Leaders Committee (FLC) picking up 66,000 tonnes of optional-origin corn, to arrive on March 15, 2025, in a tender that closed on Tuesday December 17, sources told Fastmarkets.

Saudi Arabia's state grain importer has secured more than it was initially looking for as the agency booked 804,000 tonnes of optional original 12.5% milling wheat in a tender that closed on Friday December 13, an official note on the company’s website shows.

The fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8 after the opposition took control of the country has raised questions about future import policies and temporarily halted import trade, sources told Fastmarkets.

Egyptian sustainable development agency Mustaqbal Misr, which had presented itself as a new entity of the Egyptian government, has reportedly confirmed that it is going to take over the General Authority of Supply Commodities’ (GASC) role as the country’s product purchaser, market sources told Fastmarkets on Friday December 6.

Dry bulk freight rates for Panamax vessels in the Atlantic Ocean remained at recent lows in the week to Wednesday December 4, with a lack of export cargoes and high tonnages continuing to hold rates down, Fastmarkets has heard.

Russia’s customs subcommittee has approved a wheat export quota for the second half of the marketing year – from February 16 to June 30 – of 11 million tonnes, but has not set any quota for barley or corn, essentially meaning that exports of these products will not be possible, Russian news agency Interfax has reported.

The Russian government has continued to raise the export tariffs on wheat and corn, and also increased the tariff on barley for the period December 4-10, while the country’s national currency has lost 9% of its value, an update from the country’s agriculture ministry showed on Friday November 29.

Turkey’s state-backed grains agency TMO has sold a total of 150,000 tonnes of barley in its export tender that closed on Thursday November 28, sources have told Fastmarkets.

A buy tender launched by Mustaqbal Misr, which had presented itself as a new entity of the Egyptian government, has gone unfilled according to trade sources, with some saying that they had not taken the tender seriously amid doubts over the new company and its documentation.

Dry bulk freight rates for Panamax vessels in the Atlantic Ocean fell to new lows in the week to Wednesday November 27, with slow exports still not absorbing tonnage and weighing on rates.

Bangladesh’s state buying agency, the Directorate General of Food (DGF) has received only three offers in its third 2024/25 marketing year delivery, optional-origin milling wheat tender, which closed on Monday November 25, sources told Fastmarkets.

Algerian state buyer, the Office Algerien Interprofessional des Cereales (OAIC), has returned to the market over the weekend looking for optional origin milling wheat for shipment into shallow water ports, according to the official document released on November 24 which was seen by Fastmarkets.

Estimates of grain output in Western Australia, the key exporting state in the country, have continued to improve, but the quality was expected to be mixed, the Grain Industry of Western Australia (GIWA) said in its monthly report, published on Friday November 22.

The Russian government continued to increase its export tax on wheat, as well as increasing the corn tax for the period of November 27 to December 3, but lowered its rates for barley, according to an update from the country’s agriculture ministry on Friday November 22.

Taiwan’s Flour Milling Association (FMA) bought 80,000 tonnes of milling wheat of US origin in a tender on Thursday November 21, sources told Fastmarkets.

South Korean Nonghyup Feed Inc (NOFI) purchased a 66,000-tonnes corn cargo in a private deal on Wednesday November 21, while MFG was seen in the market trying to secure a similarly priced cargo on Thursday but did not succeed, sourced told Fastmarkets.