Corn sales remained light, but soybean sales ramped up

Cotton export sales soared 65% from last week’s strong tally to 571,400 RB, with China accounting for the bulk of the purchases.

FILE PHOTO: Container ships and oil tankers wait in the ocean outside the Port of Long Beach-Port of Los Angeles complex, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 7, 2021. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
FILE PHOTO: Container ships and oil tankers wait in the ocean outside the Port of Long Beach-Port of Los Angeles complex, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 7, 2021. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Cotton export sales soared 65% from last week’s strong tally to 571,400 RB, with China accounting for the bulk of the purchases.

Wheat sales were near the lower end of expectations and down 30% from the prior four-week average.

Weekly pork export sales were also impressive at 42,500 MT, with Mexico and China as the lead buyers. Beef sales were in line with recent tallies.

USDA Weekly Export Sales Report

Week Ended Sept. 23, 2021

Corn

Actual Sales (in MT)

2021-22: 370,400

Expectations (in MT)

2021-22: 400,000-900,000

Weekly Sales Details

Net sales of 370,400 MT for 2021-22 primarily for Guatemala (138,400 MT), Mexico (102,600 MT, including decreases of 5,900 MT), Canada (87,600 MT, including decreases of 200 MT), Japan (77,400 MT, including 88,600 MT switched from unknown destinations and decreases of 11,800 MT), and Costa Rica (33,000 MT, including 30,000 MT switched from unknown destinations), were offset by reductions primarily for unknown destinations (110,900 MT).

Weekly Export Details

Exports of 676,200 MT were primarily to Mexico (262,200 MT), China (140,400 MT), Japan (107,900 MT), Honduras (49,500 MT), and Costa Rica (30,900 MT).

Comments and Performance Indicators

Export commitments are 3% ahead of year-ago compared with 10% ahead last week early in the new marketing year. USDA projects exports in 2021-22 at 2.475 billion bu., 9.8% behind the previous marketing year.

Wheat

Actual Sales (in MT)

2021-22: 290,100

Expectations (in MT)

2021-22: 250,000-550,000

Weekly Sales Details

Net sales of 290,100 metric tons (MT) for 2021-22 were down 19% from the previous week and 30% from the prior four-week average. Increases primarily for Japan (51,500 MT, including decreases of 5,700 MT), Taiwan (49,600 MT), Nigeria (44,700 MT, including 44,000 MT switched from unknown destinations), the Philippines (41,500 MT), and Colombia (41,300 MT, including decreases of 1,400 MT), were offset by reductions primarily for unknown destinations (66,400 MT).

Exports of 368,900 MT were down 27% from the previous week and 19% from the prior four-week average. The destinations were primarily to China (71,400 MT), Nigeria (50,000 MT), Thailand (47,500 MT), Mexico (46,400 MT), and Venezuela (38,900 MT).

Comments and Performance Indicators

Export commitments are 21% behind year-ago, compared with 20% behind last week. USDA projects exports in 2021-22 at 875 million bu., down 11.8% from the previous marketing year.

Soybeans

Actual Sales (in MT)

Combined: 1,101,700
2021-22: 1,093,900
2022-23: 7,800

Expectations (in MT)

2021-22: 700,000-1,200,000

Weekly Sales Details

Net sales of 1,093,900 MT for 2021-22 primarily for China (776,500 MT, including 204,000 MT switched from unknown destinations), Egypt (92,500 MT), the Netherlands (86,300 MT, including 84,000 MT switched from unknown destinations), Turkey (55,000 MT), and Mexico (43,400 MT), were offset by reductions for unknown destinations (131,400 MT). Total net sales of 7,800 MT for 2022-23 were for Cuba.

Weekly Export Details

Exports of 528,700 MT were primarily to China (292,200 MT), the Netherlands (86,300 MT), Italy (39,200 MT), Mexico (33,900 MT), and Spain (33,000 MT).

Comments and Performance Indicators

Export commitments are 36% behind year-ago at the start of the marketing year, which compares to 35% ahead a week ago. USDA projects exports in 2021-22 at 2.090 billion bu., down 7.5% from year-ago.

Soymeal

Actual Sales (in MT)

Combined: 229,700
2020-21: 66,800
2021-22: 162,900

Expectations

2020-21: 0-100,000
2021-22: 50,000-250,000

Weekly Sales Details

Net sales of 66,800 MT for 2020-21 were up 48% from the previous week and 22% from the prior four-week average. Increases primarily for the Philippines (47,300 MT), Spain (31,900 MT, including 30,000 MT switched from Italy), Canada (5,800 MT), Costa Rica (4,900 MT), and Guyana (3,700 MT switched from unknown destinations), were offset by reductions primarily for Italy (30,000 MT). For 2021-22, net sales of 162,900 MT primarily for Guatemala (59,400 MT), the Dominican Republic (38,500 MT), Mexico (21,900 MT), Canada (15,000 MT), and Colombia (8,900 MT), were offset by reductions for Costa Rica (4,900 MT).

Exports of 156,100 MT were down 36% from the previous week, but up 17% from the prior four-week average. The destinations were primarily to the Philippines (48,200 MT), Spain (31,900 MT), Mexico (25,800 MT), Colombia (17,500 MT), and Panama (11,000 MT).

Comments and Performance Indicators

Export commitments are 2% ahead of year-ago vs. 1% ahead of year-ago the week prior. USDA projects exports in 2020-21 will climb 1.9% from the previous marketing year.

Soyoil

Actual Sales (in MT)

2020-21: 6,000

Expectations

2020-21: -5,000-10,000
2021-22: 0-20,000

Weekly Sales Details

Net sales of 6,000 MT for 2020-21 were up 39% from the previous week and up noticeably from the prior four-week average. Increases were reported for Costa Rica (2,500 MT), Morocco (1,900 MT), the Dominican Republic (900 MT), Venezuela (500 MT), and Canada (200 MT). Net sales for 2021-22 of 22,400 MT were primarily for Guatemala (17,000 MT), the Dominican Republic (2,400 MT), and Canada (2,300 MT).

Weekly Export Details

Exports of 600 MT were up 6% from the previous week, but down 71% from the prior four-week average. The destinations were to Canada (500 MT) and Honduras (100 MT).

Comments and Performance Indicators

Export commitments for 2020-21 are 46% behind year-ago compared with 46% behind last week. USDA projects exports will fall 39.5% this season.

Cotton

Actual Sales (in RB)

2021-22: 571,400

Weekly Sales Details

Net sales of 571,400 RB for 2021-22 were up 65% from the previous week and 92% from the prior four-week average. Increases primarily for China (418,600 RB), Turkey (39,600 RB, including decreases of 100 RB), Indonesia (33,400 RB), Mexico (16,400 RB), and Vietnam (15,400 RB, including 1,600 RB switched from China), were offset by reductions for Bangladesh (100 RB).

Weekly Export Details

Exports of 163,900 RB were down 7% from the previous week and 11% from the prior four-week average. The destinations were primarily to China (36,000 RB), Pakistan (34,000 RB), Mexico (23,100 RB), Turkey (16,000 RB), and Thailand (9,200 RB).

Comments and Performance Indicators

Export commitments are 9% behind 2020-22 compared with 14% last week at the start of the marketing year. USDA forecasts total cotton exports will fall 5.3% from year-ago to 15.50 million bales in 2021-22.

Beef

Actual Sales (in MT)

Combined: 17,100
2021: 16,100
2022: 1,000

Weekly Sales Details

Net sales of 16,100 MT reported for 2021 were up 2% from the previous week and 9% from the prior four-week average. Increases primarily for Japan (5,500 MT, including decreases of 800 MT), South Korea (5,300 MT, including decreases 500 MT), China (2,800 MT, including decreases of 100 MT), Taiwan (1,100 MT, including decreases of 100 MT), and Mexico (700 MT), were offset by reductions for the Philippines (800 MT). Net sales of 1,000 MT for 2022 were primarily for Guatemala (500 MT), Mexico (200 MT), and Japan (200 MT).

Weekly Export Details

Exports of 18,500 MT were up 2% from the previous week and 3% from the prior four-week average. The destinations were primarily to Japan (5,500 MT), South Korea (4,900 MT), China (3,500 MT), Taiwan (1,100 MT), and Mexico (1,000 MT).

Comments and Performance Indicators

USDA reported sales totaling 17,400 MT last week. USDA projects 2021 exports will climb 1.4% from year-ago levels.

Pork

Actual Sales (in MT)

2021: 42,500

Weekly Sales Details

Net sales of 42,500 MT reported for 2021 were up 31% from the previous week and 36% from the prior four-week average. Increases were primarily for Mexico (20,400 MT, including decreases of 400 MT, 200 MT - late), China (14,000 MT, including decreases of 500 MT), Japan (2,600 MT, including decreases of 300 MT), Colombia (1,400 MT, including decreases of 200 MT), and Nicaragua (900 MT). Total net sales of 100 MT for 2022 were for Australia.

Weekly Export Details

Exports of 30,300 MT were down 16% from the previous week, but up 2% from the prior four-week average. The destinations were primarily to Mexico (14,700 MT, including 200 MT - late), China (4,400 MT), Japan (3,600 MT), Canada (1,600 MT), and South Korea (1,600 MT).

Comments and Performance Indicators

USDA reported net sales of 32,600 MT last week. USDA projects exports in 2021 will dip 2.0% from last year’s strong tally.