PANAMA CANAL INCREASES DAILY TRANSITS FOR MID-JANUARY
The Panama Canal will increase the number of daily transits to 24 starting in January, with water levels not as low as anticipated at the end of October. Currently, 22 vessels transit daily, divided into 6 Neopanamax and 16 Panamax. This restriction is in response to the challenges posed by the current state of Gatun Lake, which is experiencing shallow water levels for this time of the year due to the drought induced by the El Niño phenomenon. Normally, 35 daily transits are allowed. The 24 daily transits will start on Jan. 16.
As 2023 is the second driest year in recorded history of the Panama Canal Watershed, the canal has implemented an operational strategy focused on water conservation and transit reliability in the face of low rainfall and the consequent decrease in lake levels. The PCA said these measures, together with direct and proactive communication with customers, have proven essential in adapting to the difficult climatic circumstances. In 2022, ships carrying 36.18 million tonnes of grain — including corn, soybeans, rice, sorghum, barley, and wheat — transited the canal from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and 2.2 million tonnes moved from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Grain is second only to petroleum among commodities that rely on the canal.
(Link: WorldGrain)
USGC EXPLORES SORGHUM FEED USE IN SPAIN
USGC partnered with Animal Data Analytics (ADA) on a trial of sorghum used in swine diets in Spain to encourage end users to incorporate sorghum in feed rations. Integrating sorghum into Iberian pig feeds historically has shown superior performance to competing feedstocks in global markets, particularly when compared to those native to Spain and its nearby trade partners, the USGC said. The United States is the world’s top exporter of sorghum, with 7.4 million tonnes shipped to 21 countries in the marketing year 2021-22.
(Link: WorldGrain)
