Agrifood firms unable to source enough grain domestically due to last year’s drought have imported a record amount through a major St. Lawrence River grain terminal this year. Winnipeg grain handler G3, whose grain terminal at Trois-Rivieres, Que. has storage capacity for 109,000 tonnes, reported Wednesday the terminal has so far unloaded over 160,000 tonnes […] Read more

Prairie drought spurs record imports via Trois-Rivieres
G3 terminal reports record incoming grain handle

U.N. expects ‘big uptick’ in ships wanting to export Ukraine grain
United Nations | Reuters — The United Nations expects a “big uptick” in ships wanting to export Ukraine grain through the Black Sea after transit procedures were agreed and a goal of two to five million tonnes a month is “achievable,” a senior U.N. official said Wednesday. Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations agreed […] Read more

Ukraine seeks to extend shipping safe passage deal beyond grain
Istanbul/Kyiv | Reuters – Three grain ships left Ukrainian ports on Friday while the first inbound cargo vessel since Russia’s invasion was due in Ukraine to load, as Kyiv called for the safe passage deal to be extended to other cargoes such as metals. The July 22 deal marked a rare diplomatic breakthrough as war […] Read more

Is a return of ‘grain gridlock’ in the cards?
Grain movement was slow last winter but CN and CP say they’ll be ready to move this fall’s harvest
Reading Time: 4 minutes Fears are mounting that CN and CP may not be up to the job of getting grain to port later this year, even though the forecasts are for only an average-sized crop. “Last year wasn’t very reassuring,” said Geoff Backman, manager of business development and markets with Alberta Wheat and Barley. “Every year farmers are […] Read more

Outraged by strike on Odesa, Ukraine still prepares to resume grain exports
Accord had sought to avert major global food crisis; attack shows Moscow can't be trusted on deal, Zelenskiy says
Kyiv | Reuters — Ukraine pressed ahead on Sunday with efforts to restart grain exports from Odesa and other Black Sea ports after a missile attack that cast doubt over whether Russia would honour a deal aimed at easing global food shortages caused by the war. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy denounced the strikes on Odesa as […] Read more

Deal to resume Ukraine Black Sea grain exports to be signed Friday
Istanbul/United Nations | Reuters — Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will sign a deal on Friday to resume Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s office said Thursday. Russia and Ukraine are both major global wheat suppliers, but Moscow’s Feb. 24 invasion of its neighbour has sent food prices soaring […] Read more

Baltic Dry Index at three-month lows
Demand for ocean freight seen backing off
MarketsFarm — Ocean freight rates have come under pressure over the past month as demand for freight backs away, which could be seen as a sign of the slowing global economy. The Baltic Dry Index (BDI), which is a major indicator of shipping rates, settled at 2,081 points on Monday, up 14 points from Friday’s […] Read more

Pulse sector fears another ‘container crunch’ come fall
Prices have fallen a bit but they’re still sky high and a container shortage persists
Reading Time: 4 minutes The supply of shipping containers is a little less tight — but the problem isn’t fixed and could flare up again this fall, says an official with Pulse Canada. Rates peaked last autumn, then started rising again in the new year before finally beginning a steady downward trend in February, according to the World Container […] Read more

Thunder Bay grain exports picking up
MarketsFarm — Grain movement through the Port of Thunder Bay picked up in June, although total grain exports through the facility on the north shore of Lake Superior remain well off the year-ago level. A total of 625,741 tonnes of grain were shipped during the month, marking the first time of the season that grain […] Read more

Turkish team to discuss Black Sea grain corridor in Russia this week
Turkey proposes to monitor safe passage
Ankara | Reuters — Ankara’s military delegation will travel to Russia this week to discuss details of a possible safe sea corridor in the Black Sea to export Ukrainian grain, Turkish presidency sources said on Tuesday. Russia’s TASS agency confirmed plans for the talks, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine […] Read more