On Tuesday, U.S. grain futures declined. The May SRW wheat contract closed at $5.37/bu ($197/mt), down 2.0% from Monday. The May HRW wheat contract in Kansas City fell to $5.48/bu ($201/mt), down 2.4%. The May Euronext wheat contract closed at €223.50/mt ($238/mt), down 0.9%. The May U.S. corn contract declined to $4.51/bu ($178/mt), down 1.1%.
As of March 2, soft wheat exports from the European Union totaled 13.9 million metric tons (mmt), down 37% from the previous year, according to European Commission data. Analysts warned that the 2024 grain export figures for France and Italy remain incomplete.
The USDA reported that exporters sold 130,000 metric tons (mt) of white wheat to South Korea.
Since the beginning of the season through March 3, Ukraine exported 29.2 mmt of grains and pulses, down from 30.0 mmt a year earlier. In March, 84,000 mt were shipped from the country, compared to 270,000 mt in the same period last year.
According to Rosstat, as of February 1, on-farm wheat stocks (excluding small companies) totaled 13.7 mln t, 32% lower than a year ago and 7% below average. Wheat stocks have declined compared to last year due to active exports in the first half of the season.