China – beef imports from Brazil plummet

Brazilian beef exports to China have plummeted in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. For the month of February, Brazilian beef exporters shipped less than 38,000t of beef to China, which is less than half the 85,000t that Brazil was sending to China in November and December.

Netherlands – 2020 milk production off to strong start

Dutch milk production is off to a strong start in 2020. For the month of January, Dutch dairy farmers supplied just under 1.2bn litres of milk to processors, which was up 3.3%, or 37m litres, on the same month last year.

Brazil – record maize and soya bean production forecast

Brazil is forecast to produce a record volume of maize (corn) and soya beans this season. According to grain analysts CONAB, Brazilian farmers will produce a record 100m tonnes of maize in 2020. Brazilian soya bean production is also forecast to hit a record 124m tonnes in 2020.

US – oilseed prices plunge in wake of oil crash

The collapse in crude oil prices this week has had a severe impact on oilseed markets. In Chicago this week, prices for oilseed crops such as soya beans and rapeseed plunged to 10-month lows. Prices attempted to recover on Tuesday, but the outlook remains weak for oilseed crops.