Drone attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea this week, including strikes that sank at least one vessel off Bulgaria and Romania, have disrupted key grain export corridors and pushed Euronext front-month corn above €300/t for the first time, with wheat futures also firming. The incidents compound an already tight European grain balance marked by sharply reduced French corn output and historically low projected ending stocks for 2026/27.
Sheng Long Aqua Technology, a subsidiary of China's Guangdong Haid Group, broke ground on August 10 on its first Malaysian aquafeed factory in Kamunting, Perak. The first phase carries a budget of approximately RM140 million, with operations targeted for 2028 and a nameplate capacity of 150,000 metric tonnes per year across two shrimp-feed and two fish-feed lines.
US soymeal, corn, soybeans and winter wheat all fell during the week ending October 3, 2026, as harvest pressure, larger corn inventories and improved soymeal availability outweighed supply concerns, according to CommodityScope's weekly physical markets report.
UK FOB London pea prices have slipped modestly week-on-week as the 2026 domestic harvest under-delivered at roughly 69% of target, while stable and low Ukrainian FCA Odesa offers continue to cap upside for feed users.
U.S. grain futures rose in overnight trade on 30 September 2026 as markets positioned ahead of USDA's quarterly Grain Stocks report, a daily soybean export sale of 105,000 MT was reported, and the U.S. dollar index weakened. Analysts expect corn stocks to come in modestly below USDA's September WASDE figure, with attention focused on the Feed & Residual category.
Russia's Agriculture Ministry has formally proposed a 12-month moratorium on bankruptcy proceedings for grain producers after export bottlenecks caused a domestic price collapse, while EU and Black Sea physical wheat prices remained broadly flat. The Ministry of Economic Development has raised concerns about systemic financial risks, requesting evidence of exceptional circumstances before endorsing the measure.
Persistent port congestion, container imbalances and route disruptions are keeping ocean freight costs elevated for agricultural shippers even as some trade lanes through the Red Sea and Suez Canal show signs of partial normalization, according to CMB News.
USDA's latest quarterly grain stocks report shows US corn inventories rose 35% year-on-year to 2.10 billion bushels as of 1 September 2026, driving the December CBOT contract to a six-week low near 499 US cents per bushel. EU and Black Sea physical prices remain broadly stable amid ample global supply, with Brazil still shipping large export volumes and China projecting a strong 2026 harvest.
The USDA's September 30, 2026 quarterly stocks report showed corn inventories well above market expectations, a bearish signal for the feed grain, while wheat stocks came in below forecasts and soybean stocks were slightly supportive, according to an analysis by ADM Investor Services.
Soybean futures and products on the Chicago Board of Trade are undergoing modest profit-taking after a strong late-summer rally, with US September 1 inventories running about 3% below last year and Chinese demand continuing to underpin prices across the complex.
Sunflower oil prices fell for a third consecutive month in September 2026, according to FAO data, as ample Black Sea supply weighs on the market. However, damaged Ukrainian port infrastructure, elevated maritime risk premia, and constrained Russian export routes are cushioning the downturn and keeping volatility high.
Wheat prices in the Rhine region are moving largely sideways heading into Q4 2026 and early 2027, with bread wheat quoted at 240 EUR/t for October–December and only a modest 4–5 EUR/t carry into Q1 2027. Corn and rapeseed are sending stronger price signals, with EU corn commanding a clear premium over feed wheat and rapeseed posting the steepest forward curve in the complex, drawing feed-sector attention away from wheat.
