Each week, we bring you stories from crop production around the world which are likely to affect international and domestic markets.

Ukraine grain stats released

This week, Ukraine's agriculture ministry released the following statistics about the 2018 harvest and sowing progress:

  • As of today (Tuesday 23 October), Ukraine farmers had harvested 54.5m tonnes of grain with an average yield of 4.19t per hectare. By the same date last year, Ukraine had harvested 48.7m tonnes.

  • So far, farmers have harvested 13m hectares of grains out of a total cropping area of 14.8m hectares.
  • The wheat harvest is complete, having harvested 25.1m tonnes of the grain with an average yield of 3.8t per hectare.
  • Farmers in Ukraine also harvested 7.53m tonnes of barley with a yield of 3.03t per hectare.
  • Farmers have harvested 19.5m tonnes of maize from 2.9m hectares, 62% of the sown area. The yield averaged 6.82t per hectare.
  • Ukrainian farmers have sown 6.8m hectares of winter grains for the 2019 harvest so far, or 95% of the expected area of 7.2m.

    • US harvest moving on

    Meanwhile, the US harvest continues to power ahead. In its Weekly Crop Progress Report released on Monday, the USDA stated that the maize harvest was currently at 49%, ahead of the trade’s expectation of 45% and ahead of the prior five-year average of 47%.

    The soya bean harvest was 53% complete, well above last week’s pace of 38% but behind the 69% five-year average. The winter wheat crop was around 72% planted, below a 77% five-year average.

    Russian maize yields down but EU’s up

    Russian grain maize yields are expected to be 6% below the five-year average.

    According to reports from the EU crop observatory, average yields have amounted to 4.67t/ha. This was largely caused by reduced yields in the important export region of Southern Okrug, the AHDB reports. However, the EU report estimates are 4% higher than the USDA estimates.

    On the Euronext exchange (MATIF) in Paris, oilseed rape recorded marginal gains over the last week whereas wheat and maize recorded marginal losses.

    Rapeseed prices from Paris for November delivery were up €0.8/t since last week to €372.3/t. November 2018 maize prices recorded a €15.8/t decrease over the previous week to finish at €167/t by the close of trade on Monday.

    Milling wheat for delivery in December recorded a €4.8/t loss since last week to finish yesterday’s trade at €200.3/t.

    Looking across the water to the Chicago grain market (CME), soya beans, maize and wheat all recorded losses over the past seven days.

    2018 December futures now stand at $145.3/t for maize, down $3.1/t and $315.8/t for November-delivered soya beans, down $11.7/t.

    US wheat prices also recorded a loss over the past week with prices for December-delivered crop down $6.6/t to $189.5/t.

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