US gains share in battle for EU imports of grain corn

Spain, Portugal and Ireland are importing mainly corn from the United States this season. Italy, Slovenia and the Netherlands are receiving most of their corn from Ukraine. This is apparent from trade figures from the European Commission. The United States is making significant inroads this season when it comes to the sales of grain corn in the European Union. Since July last year, more than 5.3 million tons of corn from the US have entered the EU. That is about 1.6 million tons more than in the same period last year. In recent weeks, more corn from the US than from Ukraine has been entering the EU. Almost two thirds of this corn has Spain as its final destination. Portugal has also recently been active in the market for corn from the US. The Portuguese have a share of almost 22% in the EU supply from the US. Ukraine is exporting more than a quarter less corn to the EU than last year. Still, with 7.9 million tons, the country remains by far the most important supplier. Italy, with 2.6 million tons, is the main destination for this corn, followed by Spain and the Netherlands. About 1.4 million tons has the Netherlands as its destination. Brazil was by far the largest corn supplier to the EU in August, September and October last year. In total, 3 million tons of corn from this South American country headed toward the EU. More than 1.5 million tons of Brazilian corn was unloaded in Spain, followed by 670,000 tons in the Netherlands. Less import this season With only a few weeks left in the season, total corn imports in the EU amount to 17.3 million tons. This quantity is 1.8 million tons smaller than in the same period last year. In part due to lower sales of corn in animal feed and less exports, a smaller import of corn was already expected. The gap is larger than the difference of 1.2 million tons that the European Commission had forecast in estimates. Despite higher harvest expectations this year, the Commission assumes that more corn will have to be imported next season.