February 20, 2012

Italy's corn imports rise 30.7% in Jan-Nov

Italy's corn import leapt 30.7% on-year in the first 11 months of 2011 on the back booming feed demand, Italian cereals body Anacer said Friday (Feb 17).

Corn imports jumped to 2.34 million tonnes from 1.79 million tonnes in the same period of 2010, while soft wheat imports rose to 4.73 million tonnes from 4.44 million tonnes, Anacer said in a statement.

Italian feed makers raised purchases of imported corn to meet an increase in feed consumption which local output could not cover, according sources.

Italy buys corn abroad to cover 25-30% of its demand, with almost all of its corn imports used to make animal feed and most of the inflows coming from Hungary and Romania, according to Assalzoo.

Imports of durum wheat used for making pasta fell to 2.07 million tonnes in the first 11 months of 2011 from 2.34 million tonnes a year earlier. Anacer did not provide details of grain import origins.

Total imports of cereals and oilseeds to Italy rose 3.1% to 16 million tonnes worth EUR4.7 billion ($6.21 billion), it said.

Exports of rice from Italy, Europe's biggest producer, fell 9.6% to 669,435 tonnes, it said.

Italy's exports of pasta rose 2.9% to 1.5 million tonnes while exports of cereals-based animal feed rose 6.3% to 205,710 tonnes.