Australia – strong forecasts for wheat and barley production

Australia is forecast to produce 31m tonnes of wheat this year, while wheat exports are forecast to hit 21m tonnes in 2021. This would be the third-highest level of exports if realised. At the same time, Australian barley production is forecast to hit 11.5m tonnes in 2021.

US – corn exports to China soar

US maize (corn) prices are on the rise following bumper export sales to China over the last five months. Since September, US exporters have shipped almost 1.4m tonnes of maize to China. China is set to import close to 18m tonnes of maize this year.

Argentina – beef exports see double-digit growth

Argentinian beef exports for 2020 came in at just under 630,000t, which was up 10% on the 2019 export levels. In all, Argentina exported an extra 60,000t of beef on to world markets last year, with China being the major export destination for South American beef.

EU – bumper year for dairy exports in 2020

EU dairy exports enjoyed a bumper year in 2020, with strong volume growth for most commodities. EU butter exports are set to break the 200,000t mark – up 20% year on year. EU cheese exports were up almost 10% in 2020 to 900,000t, while WMP exports increased 12% to over 300,000t.