Ongoing shipping disruptions in the Black Sea and Red Sea are compelling wheat importers across Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa to source from more expensive origins such as the United States, Baltic states, Romania, Argentina, India, and Australia. Higher war-risk insurance premiums and freight costs are keeping physical wheat prices structurally elevated even as futures benchmarks have eased slightly from late-August highs, according to CMB News.
South African SAFEX sunflower seed futures softened in late September 2026 as seasonal harvest pressure weighs on local prices, while Black Sea seed and crude oil values remain underpinned by ongoing Ukrainian port disruptions and a tightening global vegetable oil balance, according to CMB News.
The South American rendering industry convened in Mendoza, Argentina, for the Reunion of the Americas (REAM) on 8–10 September 2026. Discussions centred on tightening fishmeal supply, surging export demand for Brazilian animal protein meals, shifting trade conditions for low-carbon feedstocks, and the growing interconnection of regional rendered-product markets.
India's 2026 southwest monsoon has fallen roughly 15% below normal, reducing kharif maize sowings by around 2.2% and raising domestic supply concerns. Meanwhile, Ukrainian and EU corn prices have eased, keeping global feed grain markets broadly soft despite the weather-driven uncertainty in South Asia.
An unprecedented drought in Austria has sharply reduced 2026 autumn crop yields, with potatoes down 50–70%, soybeans more than 50%, and grain maize nearly 30% versus the five-year average. The shortfalls are tightening feed ingredient and raw material availability for domestic processors and neighbouring EU markets, pushing up procurement costs for livestock producers and feed formulators.
China's state grain reserve operator Sinograin has resumed large-scale soybean auctions, including a tranche of around 543,000 tonnes of 2023–2025 crop beans, in a move analysts say is designed to rotate aging stocks and free silo capacity ahead of potential fresh US arrivals. With China estimated to be roughly halfway toward a 25 MMT US soybean purchase commitment, market participants are closely watching upcoming high-level US–China talks for any signal on tariff relief, which could quickly accelerate buying and tighten US export capacity.
Soybean prices are holding broadly steady, supported by strong Asian crushing margins and firm Chinese feed demand, even as Ukrainian FOB values ease and CBOT futures consolidate ahead of the US harvest. Wilmar International's H1 2026 results point to a meaningful uplift in crushing volumes and processing profits, while Brazilian planting begins under El Niño-influenced conditions.
Global sunflower seed output is projected to reach around 62.3 million tonnes in 2026/27, reinforcing an oilseed surplus, while Chinese confection and bakery-grade kernels command firm premiums. Black Sea logistics disruptions and export taxes continue to add volatility to trade flows, with China's role as an alternative supplier seen as a potential source of growing pricing power.
The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council escorted a Mexican buying group representing the dairy, cattle, swine, poultry and white corn sectors on a tour of Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas in early September 2026 to develop direct sourcing relationships with cooperatives, elevators and rail stakeholders. The group collectively purchases around 400,000 metric tons of U.S. corn and 80,000 metric tons of DDGS annually.
Argentina's bumper 2025/26 corn harvest of roughly 71.7 million tonnes is driving record export volumes to North Africa, displacing Ukrainian and EU supplies constrained by Black Sea disruptions and drought. Morocco, Egypt, and Algeria have all sharply increased purchases from Argentina in the first seven months of 2026, while Brazil's expanding ethanol sector is further tightening global export availability.
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers has approved three new unified import document forms covering live animals, animal products, and non-animal feed, replacing a 2018 regulation and aligning border control procedures with European Union standards under the IMSOC framework.
The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council recently guided a delegation of Japanese corn food and feed end-users through sites in Iowa and Washington, exposing newer buyers to U.S. corn production, quality standards, and export logistics in a bid to strengthen long-term trade ties with Japan.
