The latest U.S. Department of Agriculture export sales report shows a stark contrast in the performance of key grain commodities. For the week of February 14-20, 2025, wheat exports experienced a sharp decline, while rice sales reached a marketing-year high.
Wheat net sales for the 2024/2025 marketing year plummeted 50% from the previous week to 269,000 metric tons (MT), also marking a 46% decrease from the prior four-week average. Taiwan emerged as the top buyer, securing 103,400 MT, followed by Mexico with 95,500 MT.
In a striking turnaround, rice exports surged to a marketing-year high of 183,100 MT for 2024/2025. This remarkable increase was primarily driven by substantial purchases from Iraq (88,000 MT) and Mexico (44,500 MT).
Corn net sales for 2024/2025 also faced a significant downturn, falling 45% from the previous week to 794,700 MT. However, Mexico maintained strong demand, leading purchases at 378,800 MT.
Soybean sales for 2024/2025 experienced a more modest 14% decrease from the previous week, totaling 410,900 MT. Despite the weekly decline, this figure still represents a 10% increase from the prior four-week average. China continued to be the largest buyer, securing 202,200 MT.
The cotton market showed mixed results, with upland cotton net sales for 2024/2025 dropping 47% to 166,900 running bales (RB). Vietnam, China, and Turkey emerged as the top buyers. Conversely, Pima cotton saw a 27% increase in sales to 22,000 RB, primarily to India and Vietnam.
In the livestock sector, beef net sales for 2025 declined 15% to 18,200 MT, while pork sales increased 26% to 32,200 MT. South Korea and Mexico were the leading importers for beef and pork, respectively.
