The partial U.S. government shutdown couldn’t have come at a worse time for the agricultural markets, reports MarketWatch.
Farmers and traders are missing key pieces of U.S. government data they need to market and trade soybeans and other crops, just as China has resumed at least some purchases of U.S. agricultural products.
Daily and weekly agricultural export sales are among the data that haven’t been updated since the shutdown began December 22.
The USDA said that even if funding is restored before the end of this week, it will not be able to release important monthly Crop Production, World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates, and Grain Stocks reports, among others, due Friday, because of the “lead time” required for analysis and compilation. Once funding is restored, the release date for the reports will be determined, the USDA said.
