Global Ag News For April 30.2026

TOP HEADLINES

North Korea races to shield crops from drought, state media says

North Korea is stepping up nationwide efforts to protect crops from an unusually severe drought ahead of the rice-planting season, state media KCNA said on Thursday, as the isolated state continues to face chronic food insecurity.

KCNA said state agencies were mobilising officials to send farming supplies, secure irrigation water and put pumps and other equipment into use to limit damage to early-season wheat and barley crops.

Premier Pak Thae Song inspected farms in South Pyongan, South Hwanghae and North Hwanghae provinces and urged officials to make full use of water sources, strengthen irrigation systems and raise mechanisation in rice planting, KCNA said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned at a meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea in 2024 that failing to provide people with basic living necessities, including food, was a “serious political issue,” state media reported.

North Korea has long struggled with food shortages, including during famines in the 1990s, worsened by sanctions, border closures, limited farm inputs and weather shocks.

U.N. agencies say agricultural output routinely falls short of needs, with millions undernourished and vulnerable to disasters such as droughts and floods.

 

FUTURES & WEATHER

Wheat prices overnight are down 8 1/2 in SRW, down 11 1/2 in HRW, down 0 in HRS; Corn is down 3 1/4; Soybeans down 1 1/2; Soymeal down $2.70; Soyoil down 0.46.

For the week so far wheat prices are up 31 1/4 in SRW, up 27 3/4 in HRW, up 1/5 in HRS; Corn is up 14 1/2; Soybeans up 21; Soymeal up $2.80; Soyoil up 2.72.

For the month to date wheat prices are up 18 in SRW, up 44 1/2 in HRW, up 3/8 in HRS; Corn is up 6 1/4; Soybeans up 9 1/2; Soymeal up $6.80; Soyoil up 4.78.

Year-To-Date nearby futures are up 26.9% in SRW, up 32.7% in HRW, up 22.3% in HRS; Corn is up 6.2%; Soybeans up 15.0%; Soymeal up 10.9%; Soyoil up 57.2%.

Chinese Ag futures (JUL 26) Soybeans up 1 yuan; Soymeal up 7; Soyoil up 47; Palm oil up 103; Corn down 6 — Malaysian Palm is down 5.

Malaysian palm oil prices overnight were down 5 ringgit (-0.11%) at 4573.

There were changes in registrations (400 SRW Wheat, 115 Oats, 250 Soyoil, 561 HRW Wheat). Registration total: 434 SRW Wheat contracts; 208 Oats; 173 Corn; 523 Soybeans; 1,164 Soyoil; 0 Soymeal; 583 HRW Wheat.

Preliminary changes in futures Open Interest as of April 29 were: SRW Wheat up 3,077 contracts, HRW Wheat up 2,028, Corn up 11,835, Soybeans down 213, Soymeal down 10,913, Soyoil down 14,736.”

 

Northern Plains: Isolated showers Wednesday-Thursday. Mostly dry Friday. Isolated showers Saturday-Sunday. Temperatures below normal through Thursday, near to below normal Friday, near normal Saturday-Sunday. Outlook: Isolated showers Monday-Friday. Temperatures near normal Monday, near to below normal Tuesday-Friday.

Central/Southern Plains: Isolated to scattered showers through Friday. Mostly dry Saturday-Sunday. Temperatures below normal Thursday-Saturday, near normal Sunday. Outlook: Mostly dry Monday. Isolated to scattered showers Tuesday-Wednesday. Mostly dry Thursday-Friday. Temperatures near to above normal Monday-Tuesday, near to below normal Wednesday-Friday. 

Midwest -West: Isolated showers Thursday. Mostly dry Friday-Saturday. Isolated showers Sunday. Temperatures below normal through Saturday, near normal Sunday.

Midwest – East: Isolated to scattered showers through Friday. Mostly dry Saturday. Isolated showers Sunday. Temperatures below normal through Saturday, near to below normal Sunday. Outlook: Isolated to scattered showers Monday-Friday. Temperatures near normal Monday-Tuesday, near to below normal Wednesday-Friday.

 

The player sheet for 4/29 had funds: net sellers of 2,500 contracts of SRW wheat, sellers of 2,750 corn, sellers of 3,000 soybeans, sellers of 4,000 soymeal, and buyers of 7,500 soyoil.

TENDERS

• CORN PURCHASE: Taiwan’s MFIG purchasing group bought about 65,000 metric tons of animal feed corn expected to be sourced from the U.S. in an international tender on Wednesday, European traders said.
• NO PURCHASE IN FEED BARLEY TENDER: Jordan’s state grain buyer is believed to have made no purchase in an international tender for 120,000 metric tons of animal feed barley which closed on Wednesday, European traders said.

PENDING TENDERS

• RICE TENDER: South Korea’s state-backed Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. issued an international tender to purchase an estimated 65,394 tons of rice, European traders said. The deadline for submissions of price offers was April 21.
• RICE TENDER: South Korea’s state-backed Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. issued an international tender to purchase about 20,000 tons of rice sourced from the United States and Vietnam, European traders said. The deadline for submissions of price offers in the tender was April 28. Results of the tender may not be known for some weeks after price submissions, traders said.

 

 

 

 

TODAY

GRAIN EXPORT SURVEY: Corn, Soy, Wheat Sales Before USDA Report

Estimate ranges are based on a Bloomberg survey of four analysts; the USDA is scheduled to release its export sales report on Thursday for week ending April 23.

• Corn est. range 1,000k – 1,900k tons, with avg of 1,388k
• Soybean est. range 200k – 600k tons, with avg of 350k

 

DOE: US Ethanol Stocks Fall 4% to 25.881M Bbl

According to the US Department of Energy’s weekly petroleum report.

• Analysts were expecting 26.721 mln bbl
• Plant production at 1.009m b/d, compared to survey avg of 1.048m

 

Ukraine’s Sybiha: ‘Stolen’ Grain Vessel Won’t Unload in Israel

Israel won’t unload the vessel “Panormitis,” which transported grain from Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia, Foreign Minister Andriii Sybiha says in a post on X.

• Ukraine’s legal and diplomatic actions have been effective: Sybiha
• “This is also a clear signal to all other vessels, captains, operators, insurers, and governments: do not buy stolen Ukrainian grain. Do not become part of this crime,” Sybiha says
• Kyiv continues to track this particular vessel and warns everyone against any operations with it: Sybiha

 

Australia 2026/27 Wheat Crop Seen Falling 19% Year-on-Year: USDA

Australia’s wheat production is expected to fall to 29 million tons in the coming year, down 19% on the previous crop, the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a report.

• Decline will be off the back off disruptions caused by the war in Iran and expectations for lower rainfall due to a predicted El Niño weather system
• While the USDA is expecting only a small drop in area harvested to 11.8 million hectares, lower yields — partially caused by fertilizer supply constraints — will significantly decrease production
• “While the season has begun favorably in most key regions, uncertainty around in-season rainfall and the potential development of El Niño conditions present downside risks,” the USDA said
• NOTE: Australia has been broadly expected to plant and harvest less wheat in the coming season as a result of poor weather and disruption to farm inputs

 

Brazilian authorities sue Cargill, JBS for labor abuses in their supply chains

Brazilian labor prosecutors have filed lawsuits against five firms over labor abuses in their supply chains, with grain trader Cargill CARG.UL and meatpacker JBS JBS.N among those targeted, they said in a statement on Wednesday.

• Prosecutors are asking a court to order JBS to pay around 119 million reais ($23.78 million) in damages in a case in Para state, where workers were found in “slavery-like” conditions in the company’s supply chain.
• Cargill is being sued for 109 million reais for “grave violations of human rights” in its soy supply chain in Rondonia state.
• The lawsuits stem from a 2020 project to track supply chains aimed at fighting human trafficking and serious labor abuses.
• Neither firm immediately responded to a request for comment.
• Prosecutors also signed deals with nine firms that agreed to improve the tracking of labor abuses in their supply chains.

 

Indonesia sets May crude palm oil reference price at $1,049.58/metric ton, ministry says

Indonesia has set its crude palm oil reference price at $1,049.58 per metric ton for May, up from April’s $989.63, a regulation from the Trade Ministry showed on Thursday.

The new reference price means the export tax for crude palm oil in May will be raised to $178 per ton.

Indonesia also imposes a separate 10% export levy on crude palm oil.

 

Malaysia’s April Palm Oil Exports Seen At 1,346,859 Metric Tons – Amspec Agri

MALAYSIA’S APRIL PALM OIL EXPORTS SEEN AT 1,346,859 METRIC TONS VERSUS 1,607,065 METRIC TONS IN MARCH – AMSPEC AGRI

 

Top Wheat Buyer Indonesia Tightens Import Rules to Help Farmers

Indonesia, the world’s biggest wheat buyer, is tightening rules on imports of the grain and other crops in a bid to protect prices for local farmers.

The government is raising import requirements on items including feed wheat, soybean meal, mung beans, peanuts, feed rice and pears, Trade Minister Budi Santoso said in a statement on Wednesday. Buyers will be required to get an endorsement from the agriculture ministry and submit an application before making purchases.

President Prabowo Subianto, who took office in 2024, has sought to reduce Indonesia’s reliance on food from other countries. He also wants it to become a bigger agricultural exporter — the “world’s food barn” — and has moved to use more of its ample palm oil supplies to produce domestic biodiesel.

The policy has run into problems, though, with sugar refineries forced to halt production earlier this year due to delays with import permits.

Indonesia had signaled in 2025 that it was seeking to limit wheat imports to help domestic corn farmers. The Southeast Asian nation doesn’t grow any wheat of its own, and is forecast to bring in more than 13 million tons in the current season, according to US Department of Agriculture data. The country is also the world’s No. 3 soymeal importer.

The regulation is effective May 8. It aims to help balance domestic supply and demand, and strengthen national food security, the government said.

 

Polish Winter Grains Area Seen Slightly Higher for 2026: GUS

Total area under winter grains rose 1.1% to 4.5m hectares, the Central Statistical Office of Poland, known as GUS, says in a report.

• Winter-wheat area seen at more than 2.3m ha,
• Sees some crop losses due to a drop in temperatures in January and February, insufficient snow cover to protect plantings from frost
• Ongoing lack of rainfall has contributed to a reduction in soil moisture reserves just as spring grains planting has started

 

China Forms Expert Hog Committee to Tackle Market Shifts

China has launched an expert hog advisory body to curb volatility amid structural shift in the industry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs says in a statement Thursday.

• Ministry says the hog industry has seen profound changes in the supply-demand relationship, so it’s “highly necessary” to set up the committee
• Hog production is balancing out and prices are stabilizing as supply and demand improve
• Producers must follow capacity limits and stick to planned production

 

 

 

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