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Grain shipping costs have risen sharply in 2026, with the Baltic Dry Index near five-year highs in mid-September and the IGC Grains and Oilseeds Freight Index at 187 points versus 138 in early January. Strong bulk demand, including Chinese iron ore trades, and typhoon disruptions have tightened vessel supply.
Panama Canal transit limits from October, caused by El Niño drought, add further bottlenecks.
Higher freight costs raise landed prices for grain importers and widen the cost gap for US exports routed through Panama, supporting alternative origins. Buyers face higher delivered feed costs.
world-grain.comMichael KingSep 18, 2026Not enough comparable past events yet for a historical read.
After 359 past bearish logistics events, Corn moved a median -0.3% over 5 sessions (44% higher; middle half -1.5% to +1.5%), and -0.5% over 20.
After 297 past bearish logistics events, Soybeans moved a median +0.3% over 5 sessions (54% higher; middle half -1.5% to +1.8%), and +0.7% over 20.
Moves of each commodity's benchmark from the last close before the event. Historical reads pool past events of the same kind; they describe what happened, not what will. Not investment advice.
