February 29, 2012

CBA's commodity analysis arm said that Russian grain crops have emerged largely undamaged from the freezing weather that has hit Europe.

CBA Agri Commodities analyst Luke Mathews said Russian officials had reported minimal winterkill damage in the nation's crops and would maintain wheat exports at 22 million tonnes during 2012-13.

Mathews said the Ukrainian Government was not urging its grain traders to limit grain exports - as it did in 2010 - and there was no shortage of grain in its domestic market.

Adverse weather prompted Russia and the Ukraine to curb grain exports in July, 2010, resulting in wheat prices skyrocketing. FARM advisers have an opportunity to learn about the management of cereal foliar diseases at workshops across Australia.

The two-day workshops will be held at the Wine and Food Industry Training Centre, in Wagga Wagga, on March 12-13 and Grains Innovation Park, in Horsham, on March 15-16. Other forums will be held in the last week of March in Adelaide and Perth.

Key speakers include Nick Poole, of the Foundation for Arable Research in New Zealand, and Colin Wellings, of the Australian Cereal Rust Control Programme at Cobbity in NSW. Local plant pathologists will also take part.