June 24, 2010

China accepts US corn shipment

China has made no negative observations as it unloads its first US corn cargo in almost 15 years, according to the US Grains Council.

"Samples were being drawn on a regular basis," the council's marketing specialist Dan Keefe said. "There were no negative comments or observations. The quality was consistent with a No.2 US FGIS grade and the corn was in good condition," he added.

The shipment of 55,000 tonnes of No. 2 yellow corn arrived in Longkou port in Shandong province on June 21, cleared customs and berthed for discharge the following day, said the council.

The port operates five cranes discharging at the rate of about 700 tonnes per hour with very little port congestion. The discharging operation is expected to be completed in four days, weather permitting, and another vessel of US corn is scheduled to unload in July.