Grainnet

Total U.S. Grain Inspected for Exports Increase in 2007

This article is reprinted from the USDA's March 27 Grain Transportation Report.

According to USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA), total inspections of corn, wheat, and soybeans from major ocean ports totaled 101.57 million metric tons (mmt) during calendar year 2007 ( see table), up 5 percent from the previous year and 9 percent above the 5-year average.

Due to tight supplies and increased foreign demand for wheat, total grain inspections reached their highest level since the year 2000.

Most total weekly inspections were above the 2006 volumes from January through February due to significant increases in soybean inspections (see figure 1).

Total grain inspections fell from early March through early August, but were higher than the previous year from mid-August through December due to increased wheat and corn inspections.

Despite several decreases in June and July, weekly inspections of grain were also above the 3 year average throughout a major portion of 2007.

Fourth quarter 2007 grain inspections (corn, wheat, soybeans) at major U.S. ports reached a record 35.88 mmt (GTR 1/31/2008).

The increase was powered by wheat and corn.

According to the Foreign Agricultural Service, wheat exports to Iraq, Japan, Nigeria, Mexico, and Taiwan accounted for a major portion of fourth quarter wheat exports.

Fourth quarter corn exports increased mainly to Japan, Egypt, Korea, and Algeria.

Third quarter grain inspections were the second highest on record since 1995, at 27.74 mmt, also due to record-high wheat inspections.

During the first quarter, total grain inspections of 28.88 mmt were the highest since 1996, with increases in all three major grains.

During 2007, total Mississippi Gulf inspections totaled 56.06 mmt, up slightly from the previous year (see table).

Texas Gulf inspections reached 10.11 mmt during 2007, up 22 percent from 2006, due mainly to record large wheat inspections (8.56 mmt), which accounted for about 85 percent of total Texas Gulf inspections.

Texas Gulf rail deliveries to port increased 14 percent during 2007 (see table 3 inside the report).

Total grain inspections also rebounded in the Atlantic export region, increasing 22 percent from the previous year.

Higher Atlantic grain inspections are also reflected by higher rail deliveries to ports in the area.

Total Pacific Northwest (PNW) grain inspections increased 7 percent from the previous year to 28.73 mmt, driven by wheat (11.9 mmt) and soybeans (7.6 mmt) (GTR 1/3/2008, table 16).

A high ocean rate spread and increased rail deliveries to port also contributed to higher PNW grain inspections during 2007.

For more information, call Surajudeen (Deen) Olowolayemo, USDA, at 202-690-1328.