Beijing | Reuters — Chinese state-run food group COFCO Group said it had imported Canadian durum wheat for the first time for processing into flour, a departure from China’s usual practice of importing finished durum flour or pasta. “This direct import of durum wheat has enriched the structure of China’s imported wheat varieties, facilitated the […] Read more

China’s COFCO says it imported Canadian durum for first time
China's imports usually involve pasta or durum flour instead

China to launch grain reserves company in 2023
Reuters — China’s state-owned grains trader COFCO said on Thursday a new joint venture it has set up with state stockpiler Sinograin to manage the country’s huge grain reserves will officially begin operations next month. The China Enterprise United Grain Reserve Co. Ltd. was established in September, according to the COFCO statement on its public […] Read more

Major grain traders’ e-transaction platform gets name
The blockchain-based global commodity transaction platform being developed by six of the world’s biggest agrifood firms is moving ahead with a new name and project leader. The six companies — ADM, Bunge, Cargill, Louis Dreyfus, Cofco and Glencore Agriculture — announced Wednesday the project will be named Covantis, and have hired former ADM executive Stefano […] Read more

Louis Dreyfus could consider selling stake to regional player
Paris | Reuters — Louis Dreyfus Co., one of the world’s biggest agricultural commodities houses, may consider selling a stake to a regional player to support its development although there are no specific plans to do so, the company said Friday. Agricultural commodities traders have been grappling with lower profits from sourcing and shipping commodities […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans firm on new China sales, shrinking Brazil crop
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures edged higher on Monday on renewed Chinese demand for U.S. shipments and worries about a smaller Brazilian soy crop, but gains were limited by abundant global supplies and an uncertain outcome to Sino-U.S. trade talks. The extended Chinese market closure for the Lunar New Year also kept prices […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans end near decade low as trade war deepens
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures dropped to contract lows on Wednesday and the most active contract closed at the lowest in nearly 10 years as an escalating trade war with China stoked worries about long-term export demand from the world’s top importer of the oilseed. Favourable crop weather in the U.S. Midwest weighed […] Read more

China signals to state giants: ‘Buy American’ oil and grains
Singapore/Beijing | Reuters –– China will import record volumes of U.S. oil and is likely to ship more U.S. soy after Beijing signalled to state-run refiners and grains purchasers they should buy more to help ease tensions between the two top economies, trade sources said on Wednesday. China pledged at the weekend to increase imports […] Read more

China’s Cofco seeks larger Canadian canola volumes
Winnipeg | Reuters — State-owned Chinese agribusiness Cofco Corp. looks to buy 2.5 million tonnes of Canada’s canola crop next year, a boost of more than one-third over its expected purchases this year as its Canadian office gets established, said the company’s global head of softseeds on Wednesday. Cofco opened its Canadian trading office in […] Read more

China’s Cofco to partner with Growmark on U.S. grain supply
Reuters — China’s state-owned Cofco International Ltd. (CIL) and U.S. farm co-operative Growmark on Friday announced a new grain supply partnership which they say will enhance links between U.S. grain production areas and global markets, including China. The partnership is the latest expansion move by CIL after it invested US$3 billion to buy Noble Group’s […] Read more

China shipping wheat flour to Canada
Chinese state-owned agrifood firm Cofco says it has scored its first-ever international sale of wheat flour — into the Canadian market. Cofco, which said in June it plans to open a Canadian grain trading office in Winnipeg, recently announced it had loaded a container ship at the northeastern port of Dalian on Nov. 17 with […] Read more