Welcome to this week’s AMT/John Deere Grain and Oilseed Market Overview, proudly brought to you by John Deere and Zimmatic Irrigation Systems. Global and local grain markets continue to react to shifting weather patterns, supply constraints, and demand changes. Let’s take a closer look at where prices are trading and what’s driving sentiment this week.
📉 Local Market Snapshot
Here’s how spot and future contract prices are moving:
- White Maize: Spot price declined to R5,066/ton, while July 2026 is at R4,465/ton.
- Yellow Maize: Spot price eased to R4,284/ton, with July 2026 at R4,200/ton.
- Soybeans: Spot price increased to R7,228/ton, while May 2026 strengthened to R7,400/ton.
- Sunflower: Spot price fell to R9,460/ton, with May 2026 at R9,141/ton.
- Wheat: Spot price rose to R6,680/ton, with December 2025 futures at R6,336/ton.
- Sorghum Import Parity (Durban): R4,492/ton.
- Argentine Groundnuts (shelled): R23,439/ton.
🌎 Global Market Developments
- USA Weather Impact: Drier and warmer conditions in the US boosted CBOT maize and soybean prices last week, but forecasts suggest rainfall could return in the next 7–14 days. Warm nighttime temperatures are raising concerns about potential pollination issues for maize, though this has not yet impacted prices.
- Biofuel & Processing Demand:
- Soybean oil prices strengthened on increased demand.
- Former US President Donald Trump announced Coca-Cola will replace corn syrup with sugarcane syrup in all products.
- Jet fuel production is shifting towards biofuel.
These initiatives could add long-term demand support for US grains.
- Stocks Still High: Despite these positive signals, record stock levels in the US keep prices under pressure.
🌍 African Market Insight
Positive news came out of Zambia, where the country may need to import soybeans again this year. While South Africa could supply some of this demand, two challenges remain:
- Genetically modified (GM) soybeans
- Relatively high local prices
Both factors may deter Zambia from sourcing from South Africa.
🇿🇦 Local Trends & Expectations
- Maize & Wheat: Prices showed gains over the week.
- Soybeans & Sunflower: Slight week-on-week declines.
- Seasonal Outlook:
- Maize prices may trade sideways in the coming week.
- Sunflower and soybeans could see slight strength.
- Wheat may peak around mid-August before trending downwards to a typical low in January.
- WM1 Scarcity:
- WM1s increased slightly from 58% to 59%, but levels remain very low compared to last year.
- “Super WM2s” and weaker WM2s are now fetching different price levels, forcing millers to rely more heavily on WM2s given WM1’s current scarcity and high cost.
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📲 Stay Updated
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