EU Corn Imports Jump 40% Driven by Higher Supplies from the US and Ukraine

According to operational data from the European Commission, total corn imports into the European Union reached 6.64 million tonnes during the first 16 weeks of the 2026/27 marketing year, spanning from July 1 to October 18. This figure represents a 40.0% increase compared to the 4.74 million tonnes imported during the same period of the previous season, and is 5.8% higher than the 6.28 million tonnes recorded at the start of the 2024/25 MY. These figures were published by the APK-Inform information agency.

The United States became the leading external supplier of the grain to the European market during this period. US shipments surged 3.3 times to reach 2.94 million tonnes, accounting for 44.3% of total EU corn imports. By comparison, during the corresponding period last season, American exporters supplied only 893,350 tonnes, representing a market share of 18.8%.

Shipments from Ukraine also experienced significant growth, increasing 2.1 times to 1.62 million tonnes and capturing a 24.4% share of the total import volume. A year earlier, over the same timeframe, Ukraine supplied 770,980 tonnes of the grain to EU member states, which accounted for 16.3% of the total structure.

Meanwhile, analysts noted a contrasting trend in supplies from other traditional exporting nations. Corn imports from Brazil to the European market decreased by 33.6% down to 1.82 million tonnes, compared to 2.74 million tonnes in the previous year. Consequently, Brazil's share of total imports dropped from 57.7% to 27.4%.

Additionally, a reduction was recorded in corn imports originating from Canada. Shipments from the North American country dropped to 149,150 tonnes (2.2% of the total volume) down from 230,800 tonnes (4.9%) during the same period of the prior season. Experts continue to monitor the shifting market shares among major global grain suppliers within the European Union.