The U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest export sales report reveals a robust start to the 2025/2026 wheat marketing year, with net sales reaching 388,900 metric tons for the period of May 30-June 5, 2025. This early surge in sales signals strong international demand for U.S. wheat as the new crop year gets underway.
Mexico emerged as the top buyer, securing 97,200 metric tons, despite a small reduction of 2,500 tons. Asian markets also showed significant interest, with Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand purchasing 70,000, 60,200, and 59,900 metric tons respectively. Unknown destinations accounted for 58,200 metric tons of the total sales.
The report highlights a notable increase in wheat exports compared to the previous year. For the period ending May 31, which marked the close of the 2024/2025 marketing year, accumulated exports reached 21,107,400 metric tons, up 14% from the prior year's total of 18,529,700 metric tons.
South Korea led the final week's exports for the 2024/2025 year, taking 55,000 metric tons, followed by Nigeria with 38,500 tons and Japan with 35,500 tons. Mexico and the Dominican Republic rounded out the top five destinations for that period.
The transition into the new marketing year saw immediate export activity, with 115,700 metric tons shipped in the first five days of June. The Philippines was the largest recipient, importing 57,500 tons, while Taiwan and Mexico took 33,000 and 19,000 tons respectively.
In other grain markets, corn net sales for 2024/2025 totaled 791,300 metric tons, showing a 16% decrease from the previous week and a 33% drop from the four-week average. Japan was the primary buyer, securing 376,200 tons, including significant volumes switched from unknown destinations and Taiwan.
Soybean sales hit a marketing-year low at 61,400 metric tons for 2024/2025, down 68% from the previous week and 74% from the four-week average. However, exports surged 47% from the previous week to 453,400 metric tons, with Mexico, Indonesia, and Egypt as top destinations.
The report also noted significant activity in cotton markets, with upland cotton net sales for 2024/2025 reaching 60,200 running bales, primarily to Vietnam, India, and Pakistan.
As global agricultural trade continues to evolve, these early sales figures provide valuable insights into market trends and international demand for U.S. agricultural products. Industry stakeholders will be closely monitoring future reports to gauge the trajectory of exports in the coming months.
