Browse Data and Analysis

FAS/Sofia has revised downward its estimate for Bulgaria’s MY 2024/25 corn crop to 2.2 million metric tons (MMT), which if realized would be the smallest crop in over a decade. This is due to severe summer heat and drought in July and in early August.

Kazakhstan is expected to have a bumper crop following last year’s troubled production. After heavy rains and flooding in May 2024 delayed planting, Kazakhstan’s primary growing regions have had near perfect weather, greatly raising the outlook for the upcoming fall harvest.

A tale of two is emerging for wheat and barley growers in Australia. Those in the eastern states have entered the MY 2024/25 planting season with good soil moisture and a particularly good fall break with widespread rains in the first week of April.

Ukraine’s marketing year (MY)2023/24 has concluded for wheat, barley, and rye, but is still ongoing for corn. Ukraine established a stable export corridor in the Black Sea, allowing its major marine ports (Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdenny) to keep grain exports flowing at rates slightly higher than in MY2022/23.

Recent available data indicates that Saudi Arabia imported approximately 2.7 million metric tons (MMT) of barley in the first six months of MY 2022/23 (July – December 2022), an increase of approximately 11% compared to the same period last year (2.46 MMT).

Wheat production in marketing year (MY) 2023-2024 is forecast to remain flat at 1.2 million metric tons. Production will remain flat despite a larger harvested area as Post projects a return to trend from high yields in the previous season.

Post forecasts MY 2023/24 wheat production at 3.3 million metric tons (MMT) and barley production at 1.4 MMT, in line with the previous season as climatic conditions are similar.

FAS Tel Aviv (Post) forecasts Israel’s wheat imports to reach 1.70 million metric tons (MMT) in marketing year (MY) 2023/24, a 2.8 percent decrease from Post’s MY 2022/23 figure.

FAS/Tokyo projects reduced corn imports and feed consumption in MY2022/23 due to large outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza as well as increased competition from domestic feed rice, followed by a recovery of corn consumption in MY2023/24.

Bulgaria harvested a 26 percent lower grain crop in marketing year (MY) 2022/23 compared to MY2021/22, including reductions of 12 percent for wheat, 11 percent for barley, and 26 percent for corn.

FAS-Astana estimates Kazakhstan’s wheat production reached 16.4 million metric tons (MMT) in marketing year (MY) 2022/2023, which is the largest production volume since MY 2017/2018. In addition to wheat, barley production also recovered due to favorable weather and precipitation conditions in northern grain producing regions.