It certainly looks like a buyer’s market at present, as grain prices continue their overall downward trend. Although some more positive moves were seen this week.

Significant drops were seen across wheat, barley and maize prices last week, while oilseed rape prices increased. Early this week, prices managed to hold steady.

However, overall markets are not in a good place if you are a seller. As prices fall, buyers wait for the lowest price and will hold out until they really have to purchase.

If you think about people who bought stock last season, they now consider that stock to be expensive and below today’s market prices, so they will try to hold out for the lowest price they can get now.

So, in the near term, it’s a difficult market and while prices are also low looking towards harvest, it is only February and many things could affect the market before then.

Prices

Matif wheat dropped by €11.75/t last week to €209.25/t. That price had held steady on Monday and Tuesday.

On Wednesday afternoon 21 February, it dropped slightly to €208.25/. That price had dropped by €19.50/t from 19 January to the end of last week.

Plantings of maize are reported to be progressing rapidly in Brazil, at 31.5% planted last week, which is 11% ahead of the same time last year. This is putting a positive narrative on supply.

Competitive Black Sea grain continues to weigh on markets.

Protests

On Tuesday of this week, Polish farmers spilled grain from railway carriages coming from Ukraine on to the tracks.

Reuters reported that protesters blocked most border traffic.

Polish farmers have said they are frustrated by the constraints put on them while grain from countries outside of the EU flows in.

They said that they will go bankrupt if cheap grains continue to be imported.

Oilseed rape

Oilseed rape is a good news story. Last week, the Matif price for November increased by €4.25/t to €429.25/t.

However, on Wednesday afternoon, that price had dropped to €426/t.

Native prices

At home, prices are reported at under €205/t for spot barley and between €210/t and €215/t for spot wheat.

November prices are reported to be similar to spot, but on the higher end of those ranges.

Maize ex-port has dropped in price to €205/t. This does not bode well for barley and wheat sales, as the products will be in competition with maize.

Soya ex-port remained steady at €520/t this week.