Russia's milling grain prices keep rising

Milling grain prices kept rising last week, while average feed grain prices were largely unchanged in European Russia on expectations of imports and grain sales from government stocks, analysts said on Monday. Milling rye rose by 300 roubles ($9.79) to 7,050 roubles per tonne, EXW European Russia, third-grade milling wheat rose by 125 roubles to 7,175 roubles per tonne, SovEcon agricultural analysts said in a weekly note.
Feed wheat prices were stable at 6,425 roubles per tonne, feed barley was unchanged at 8,225 roubles per tonne, it said. In southern Russia, third-grade wheat rose to $221 per tonne from $215 to 221 per ton, fourth-grade to $210 per tonne from 204, feed wheat to $204 from $199, feed barley to $252 from $246, maize to $271 per tonne from $265, the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies said in a separate note.
In Western Siberia, grain prices remained flat, as recent sharp price increases made local grains almost uncompetitive, especially in terms of wheat flour, IKAR said. Sunseed prices declined last week in dollar terms to $690 from $709 under the pressure of depressed international crude sunoil prices and imports from Ukraine, IKAR said. Crude sunoil prices also fell from to $1,530 per tonne from $1540, it said.
Sunseeds declined most notably in the North Caucasus, while in the Central Black Soil region prices were rather stable, SovEcon said. Sunoil fell by 425 roubles to 49,000 roubles per tonne, it said. Traders expect a further decline of the sunseed prices as a glut of vegetable oils may force crushers to halt output, SovEcon said. It said imports of sunoil rose to 31,000 tonnes in November from 8,000 tonnes in October, while imports of palm oil rose to 91,000 tonnes from 67,000 tonnes.