As the CEO of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), Alberto Alemán Zubieta will share his expertise
on the Canal’s current operations and future expansionist plans on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at the U.S. Grains Council’s upcoming 9th International Marketing Conference and 52nd Annual Membership Meeting in Panama.

The U.S. Grains Council and Ministry of Agriculture cooperative program to establish a Tunisian central laboratory for feed analysis is well underway, reported Cary Sifferath, USGC regional director.

Since moving into their building last September, the laboratory staff has grown to 13, including

Recent activity in Ukraine’s national grain production has attracted attention and potential concern over global market impact.

To offset a record bumper crop, Ukraine removed its export duties on wheat and corn last year. As the chart below illustrates, coarse grain production in 2010/2011 exceeded 20 million metric tons. While domestic demand only currently accounts for half of production, if Ukraine’s government continues to remove trade restrictions and open its markets, the surplus in grain exports could potentially flood neighboring

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 1, 2012 — In order to provide additional features and content, the U.S. Grains Council created an online version of its annual report that is available now at www.usgcAnnualReport.org.

The online report includes success stories from the year, video highlights and market profiles from more than 25 countries and regions. Market profile pages display supply/demand charts, market growth potential and other information viewers may find useful, including highlights from Council programs in each country.

The project was an initiative of the Council’s Membership

Beyond seeing the transformation of the Panama Canal or hearing the latest developments in key export markets, the U.S. Grains Council’s February meeting offers attendees an exceptional opportunity to put their mark on Council programs.

This meeting will reflect the unique conjunction between external changes like the Canal expansion and internal changes like the Council’s new strategic plan.

“We’ve long been building demand, but we are realizing that the pipeline of grain trade is constricted by government policies all over the world,”

Ukraine exported just over 2 million metric tons of grain in December, of which about 1.6 million metric tons (63 million bushels) was corn, according to U.S. Grains Council sources. The leading corn importers were Egypt, 252,000 tons; Spain, 350,000 tons; and Iran, 160,000 tons. Egypt, Tunisia and Spain took most of Ukraine’s wheat shipments.

Ukraine’s winter crops are reported to be in poor condition due to the dry fall and winter, which could mean a smaller 2012 harvest despite an increase in planted acres. If that happens and Ukraine sees a return of moisture, it could mean even larger plantings of corn this spring, according to Cary Sifferath, USGC regional director.