Russia In The Market For More Grain

Agriculture minister Viktor Khlystun told an industry meeting in Russia's second city that Moscow would buy maize and soymeal from the US, Canada and Australia this year.

We intend to import 4.0-4.5 million tonnes of maize and soymeal, not only in 1996 but probably also in the coming years, he said.

Last month Khlystun said Russia would import three to four million tonnes of grains, mostly maize and soymeal, and about 5,00,000 tonnes of wheat this year.

Analysts in the US said they had not seen any evidence yet of Russian interest in major purchases of US grain and soymeal.

 

There are occasions when we hear from them and they nibble for 20,000 or 80,000 tonnes of maize or meal. But it never happens because they end up buying from some eastern European country where they rail it in, one exporter said on condition he not be named. So they do inquire on occasion but I have not heard anything from them in months, the exporter said.

Others said the Russian government would have trouble financing such purchases.

Quite frankly, nobody in the industry expects much interest from them at the moment, another exporter said, also on condition he not be identified.