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Grain & Feed Milling Technology is published six times a year by Perendale Publishers Ltd of the United Kingdom.All data is published in good faith, based on information received, and while every care is taken to prevent inaccuracies,
in 2011, it will start wit h extremely low stocks.
Until there is evidence of these being rebuilt,
prices could stay firm in this sector, keeping
other grain and oilseed markets up. The US
will also need a timely harvest as supplies
dwindle from July into August.
Oilmeal costs have also risen in the last
month or two, propelled by extremely s trong
Chinese demand for US soyabeans, eating
too quickly into the latter’s total supply and
threatening a possible severe end-season stock squeeze. US traders have also been fretting
about fairly conservative figures being touted
for this spring;s US soyabean planted acreage –
just enough, maybe, to meet demand if perfect
weather delivers good yields. Demanding
some price-restraint, though Latin American
soyabean crops are turning out far bigger than
expected. That should relieve pressure on the
US in the months ahead, possible leading to
some cancelled US export business. The South
Americans may also sow bigger crops again
this autumn, if prices persist at anything like
current levels. However, some improvement
in supplies of the other leading traded oilseeds
– like rapeseed and sunflowerseed - would be
useful in keeping prices under control across
the oilmeal sector.
Main commodity highlightssince our last review
Wheat up – then downA glance at our wheat charts below
shows prices for the leading indicators have
recently been at their most expensive since
the summer of 2008. As noted above, the
factors behind the latest increases include
ongoing weather uncertainties in the US and
Russia, Australia’s flooding/quality problems,
strong demand from the Middle East and a
fair dash of speculative support (fund buying)
each time the market gets a piece of bullish
news. One of the big differences between
now and 2008, as pointed out in this column
previously, is that world stocks were much
lower then – both in absolute terms and in
relation to consumption. This season’s endingstocks (in July) are in fact projected more than
50m or about 42% higher than those held
at the end of 2007/08, when wheat prices
last boomed. There is st ill a lot of grain in the
main exporting country, the USA, especially
- even before the next crop comes along. US
planted area is expected to be up by about
6% but with drought stressing the hard red
winter crop since it was sown – and spring
wheat area possibly declining too – some
USDA economists believe production could
still drop by 3.5m tonnes to about 56.5m.
Even then, supply including carryover stocks
would still be comfortable. US wheat markets
to be tight at
the close of
2010/11 at end-
June. However,
the squeeze
on supplies of
higher grade
milling wheats
continues to
tighten, leading
to some very
w ide pr i cepremiums in recent weeks. North American
hard spring wheat export prices, for example,
were recently quoted at their dearest levels
since June 2008. This is obviously focusing keen
market interest on how much hard wheat
will be sown on that Continent this spring –
and early portents are less than encouraging.
Despite high prices, US spring wheat area may
decline as other crops offer better returns.
Canada, meanwhile, could see interruptions
to its mainly spring sown wheat crop
as a massive snow pack melts amid
forecasts of heavier than usual rains
from latter March onward (possible
well into the growing period - though
these longer range forecasts can be
unreliable).
On the other hand, European
plantings are up – perhaps not quiteas much as earlier hoped but, with
decent summer weather and normal
yields and quality (especially in the
top quality producer Germany) things
could loosen up enough here by the
autumn in terms of volume and quality to ease
milling wheat premiums a little. The question
remains, though, what will wheat be worth on
world markets early in the new season. Will
persistent high world prices drag too much EU
wheat overseas, as has arguably happened this
season? Wheat will also have to follow maize
prices, both in terms of the contest for spring
acres and as a competing feedgrain.
Maize markets grew jittery again in the
past month despite early USDA forecasts
of a possible 4.2m acre rise in US plantings.
Some traders believe that is unlikely, given the
demand for acres from all crops – althoughmaize prices are certainly attractive to US
farmers. Then there is the question of yields.
Last year – with supposedly optimum and
trouble-free growing conditions, the US crop
raced to completion and ended up with rather
disappointing yields whereas in 2009, a delayed
start a nd long cool development period saw
productivity soar (even with a wet harvest that
ran beyond the year’s end – though this did
affect quality in many areas). If all went well
this year, current planting forecasts suggest
the US could produce as much as 250/255 m
tonnes, according to some observers - or 20m
to 30m less if weather misbehaves, say others.
early 2012) might decline from this year’s very
high level. With a return to normal weather,
Australia could still produce millions of tonnes
more high quality milling wheat next seas on
than this. Along with bigger expected bigger
Indian and Ukrainian crops, not to mention
still large world carryover stocks from this
season (especially within the main supplying
country, the USA), this suggests a less bullish
wheat market later in 2011/12.
On the demand side for wheat, a possible fly
in the ointment of potentially looser supply is
potential for stronger feed use. Consumption
by this sector is expected to rise by several
million tonnes globally this year to its highest
level since the early 1990’s as meat producers
seek alternatives to tight and expensive maize
and barley. A currently forecast 5% rise in
world wheat feeding to 123m tonnes will be
spread mainly over Australia, Canada, the
USA, China and the former Soviet Union,
offset by a drop in the EU.
While wheat has remain expensive in
recent months, the price has recently comewell off its highs – dropping at one stage by
almost 20% from the February peaks. Maize
on the other hand, has risen sharply in value,
narrowing the price spread between the two
grains to its smallest in many years. This is
influencing importers’ grain buying decisions,
especially in Asia, where feed wheat purchases
have recently risen strongly. China has been a
notable buyer, taking advantage of the large
proportion of this year’s weather-damaged
Australian milling wheat supply downgraded
to feed.
Even with this extra global demand for
wheat in feeds, supplies are not expected
Gn&feed mnG tenooGy44 | march - pril 2011 Gn&feed mnG tenooGy march - pril 2011 | 45
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