Brazil – Q1 beef production close to 2m tonnes

Brazilian beef production in the first quarter of 2019 (Jan-Mar) stood at 1.95m tonnes, which is almost 3% ahead of the same period last year, or 50,000t more. In the first quarter, Brazil exported just over 26% of its total production, which equates to just over 510,000t.

EU – crop yields raised on back of good weather

Mars, the EU’s crop monitoring agency, has raised its forecast for crop yields in Europe this year due to good weather conditions. Average soft wheat yields are forecast higher at 6.1t/ha, while barley yields are raised to just under 5t/ha. Yields for oilseed rape are forecast at 6.1t/ha.

US – corn production forecast slashed due to floods

Thanks to severe floods in the US over recent weeks, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has slashed its forecast for US corn (maize) production this year by 19m tonnes to less than 348m tonnes. If realised, this will be the biggest fall in US corn production in eight years.

China – soya bean imports tumble

China imported just under 7.4m tonnes of soya beans in May, which is a collapse of 24% compared with the 9.7m tonnes of soya beans imported for the same month last year. Ongoing trade tensions with the US and the African swine fever outbreak are the main reasons for the decline.