Tuesday, 15 December 2015

Early week Black Sea agri-news

Russian crop exports stood at 17.8mmt (Dec 9, 2015) including 13.4mmt wheat, 2.8mmt barley and 1.4mmt corn. 

That’s down 6% on the corresponding period last year when exports stood at nearly 19mmt.

The EU agricultural commissioner Phil Hogan said the European Commission is taking steps to resume the supply of pork from the EU to Russia.  Phil told journalists in Brussels that "[We are] trying to re-open opportunities for pig meat with Russia," and that the Commission has proposed Russia to discuss possible resumption of pork exports.  Moscow has not responded.

The European Commission has lifted the ban on the supply of poultry meat and eggs from Russia after controlling outbreaks of avian influenza. 

I’m know this story is completely unrelated to the previous story but it makes you wonder if that’s how business is done.

Russia continues to intercept and destroy sanction busting foods slipping in from Belarus, this time with 41mt of Albanian tomatoes the latest casualty.

I didn’t realise Albania are on the sanction list but apparently they are which just feels like bullying to me.

Russia’s head of Federal Agency of scientific organizations said that producing and exporting eco-friendly organic food will help reduce Russia’s dependence on oil & gas exports.  The expert added that Russia food exports exceeded imports and stood at USD 20 billion a year while gas exports generated USD 54 billion. 

I have no idea if those numbers are accurate but a head of science that uses phrases like eco-friendly makes you wonder.

Russia's Central Bank were in a candid mood reporting that the rate of import substitution is slow and that producers could not make up for banned products in most categories of foodstuffs singling out beef, butter, fish and vegetables.

Ukraine start the week in a continuing bullish mood with the minister of agriculture saying they are seeking to attract at least USD eight billion in private investments in the agriculture sector within the next five years. 

The agricultural ministry also reported Ukraine’s grain exports stood at 18.71mmt (Jul 1 to Dec 11), including 9.34mmt of wheat, 5.4mmt of corn, 3.95mmt of barley and forecast a record 36.8mmt grain exports for 2015/16MY, up 6.4% on last year.

Ukraine current grain harvest is 99% complete, report the ministry, at 60.84mmt, including nearly 23mmt of corn.