Category: Freight

Bearish: Black Sea grain export flows remain pressured as Russia’s new quota regime is unlikely to be fully utilized and Ukraine’s exports are running 20–34% below last year amid infrastructure bottlenecks. Neutral: Large crop potential in both Russia and Ukraine, along with Ukraine’s diversification toward North African and Middle Eastern markets, provides a medium‑term floor…

Export Growth: Russian grain and grain product exports rose 6% year-on-year in January 2026 to 4.5 million tons. Wheat Momentum: Wheat shipments increased 18% to 2.8 million tons, reinforcing Russia’s dominant role in global wheat trade. Oilseed Strength: Soybean exports doubled to 128,400 tons, with soybean cake up 69% to 71,400 tons, signaling diversification beyond…

Neutral to Slightly Bearish: Zero export duties on Russian wheat, barley, and corn preserved for a fourth week support abundant supply and cap upside for global import prices. Supportive for Russian Exports: Strong 2025 export growth from Central Black Sea regions (over $1.8 billion aggregate) underscores resilient production and logistics capacity. Regional Outperformance: Tambov’s 30%…

Neutral to Bearish Ukraine: Wheat flour exports projected down 2.6% in 2025/26 MY amid a 10% drop in domestic production, limiting export growth. Bullish Russia: Kaluga Region agricultural exports up 10.5% to over $130 million with a target of 50% further growth by 2030. Structural Risk for EU: Russian fertilizers supply 23% of EU imports;…

Average daily grain railcar unloading at Greater Odesa ports fell 20% week-on-week to 915 units/day, signaling worsening congestion. Railcar backlog to Greater Odesa climbed to 9,847 units (about 11 days of unloading at current rates), while loading toward these ports slipped to 853 units/day. Danube ports showed relative improvement, with average daily unloading nearly doubling…

Neutral: Russia set a 20 million ton grain export quota for February–June 2026 across 213 companies, maintaining overall export control while slightly consolidating the exporter base. Bullish (Logistics): Agidel port’s return to service in 2025 adds 90,000 tons of inland export capacity to Egypt and Iran, modestly diversifying routes beyond traditional Black Sea terminals. Bearish (Export…

Export Shift: Indonesia plans to curb crude palm oil exports to prioritize domestic biofuel (B40/B50) and aviation fuel production. Investment Push: Government targets $36.86 billion in palm oil processing investments despite stagnant output over the past five years. Tighter Global Supply: Rising domestic use may reduce export availability, supporting global vegetable oil prices. Black Sea…

AGT CARGO plans to build a new grain terminal at the Astara dry port to expand capacity beyond the current 500,000 tons per year. The company set a historic record by processing around 180,000 tons of grain via Georgia’s Poti port on the Trans-Caucasian route in 2025. AGT CARGO is exploring containerized grain shipments from…

Georgian ports nearly double throughput: Combined port traffic rose from 13 million tons in 2022 to a record 25 million tons via Batumi alone in 2025, underscoring Georgia’s emergence as a key grain transit corridor. Rail bypass boosts capacity and speed: A new bypass route through the pass has increased Georgian railway capacity and reduced…

Logistics Deepening: Kazakhstan and Pakistan signed 32 commercial agreements worth $189.8 million, strengthening regional supply chain links across logistics, energy, and infrastructure. Agro-Industrial Expansion: A $20 million joint venture for sugar production in Kazakhstan’s Zhetysu region underlines growing regional food processing capacity and value-added exports. Freight Implications: Multimodal cooperation between Kazakhstan Temir Zholy and Pakistan’s…