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Türkiye has opened a 3 million-tonne tariff quota for corn imports with a reduced customs duty of 5% for the period from April 20 to July 31, 2026. The move comes against the backdrop of weaker production expectations, firm feed demand and rising import needs, suggesting Ankara is seeking to ease raw material pressure ahead of the new season.

Black Sea wheat prices have firmed since late March, but the increase has not translated into relief for exporters. Currency pressure in Russia, war-related freight risks and weak grower economics continue to weigh on the region’s wheat trade.

The IMF’s April 2026 World Economic Outlook says the global economy has entered a weaker, more inflation-prone phase after the outbreak of war in the Middle East, with higher commodity prices, tighter financial conditions and rising vulnerability among import-dependent emerging economies.

USDA projects Türkiye’s 2026/27 wheat and barley crops to rebound sharply on the back of stronger autumn and winter rainfall, with wheat output rising to 19.8 million tonnes and barley to 7.0 million tonnes.

Cereal supply conditions across sub-Saharan Africa remain uneven. While production has improved in several key countries, import dependence remains substantial, especially for wheat and rice.

In an April 7 blog post published by the International Food Policy Research Institute, or IFPRI, agricultural economists Shawn Arita and Joseph Glauber argue that the current Iran crisis is affecting global agriculture mainly through fertilizer and energy markets, not through a direct disruption in grain supply.

The USDA’s April 2026 Grain: World Markets and Trade report points to a more heavily supplied global wheat market in 2025/26, with record production, softer consumption than previously expected, and ending stocks climbing to the highest level in five years.

At an International Grains Council webinar on non-tariff barriers in wheat and maize trade, speakers warned that sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS), maximum residue limits, biotech restrictions, tighter import controls and logistics bottlenecks are placing growing pressure on global grain flows by raising hidden costs, complicating market access, weakening predictability and amplifying food security risks.

The deepening crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has transcended simple increases in freight and insurance costs, fundamentally altering the decision-making patterns of global grain market players.

The FlourWorld Museum has named Abubakar Bakhresa of the Bakhresa Group as the 2026 inductee to its Milling Hall of Fame, recognizing his role in building one of East Africa’s most influential grain-processing businesses and expanding flour production capacity across the region.

The war in the Middle East is not hitting global grain markets through a direct collapse in wheat or corn supply, at least not yet.

The Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Máximo Torero, warned that the ongoing disruption to the Strait of Hormuz trade corridor is triggering one of the most severe shocks to global commodity flows in recent years, with significant implications for food security, agricultural production, and global markets.