Andrey Sizov
05.03.2026
On Wednesday, grain futures fell. May SRW wheat settled at $5.68/bu ($209/mt; -1.0% vs. Tuesday). May HRW wheat slipped to $5.72/bu ($210/mt; -1.0%). May Euronext wheat closed at €199.50/mt ($232/mt; -1.8%). May U.S. corn fell to $4.44/bu ($175/mt; -0.6%).
Ukraine’s Grain Association (UGA) estimates total area planted to grains and oilseeds in 2026 at 21.2 mln ha, down from 21.6 mln ha a year earlier. Corn area is seen at 4.4 mln ha versus 4.5 mln ha, while wheat area is projected at 5.3 mln ha versus 5.0 mln ha.
On the evening of March 4, attack drones struck a Panama-flagged vessel carrying corn in Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port. The crew was evacuated.
Spring planting has begun in Russia’s Krasnodar region, with sowing of grain peas under way, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said. The region’s spring crop area is estimated at 1.8 mln ha.
By the end of last week, average prices for Russian wheat with 12.5% protein in European Russia rose by 175 rubles to 13,400 rubles/mt ($175/mt), according to SovEcon price monitoring. This is the highest ruble-denominated level since late November, when quotations stood at 13,550 rubles/mt ($172/mt). Prices strengthened amid improved demand from exporters and processors, as well as limited supply.
