美国大豆协会－国际项目每周快报
2009年08月24日
美国农民种植的非生物技术大豆比去年多
U.S. Farmers Planting More Non Biotech Soybeans Than Last Year
据《有机与非转基因报告》月刊报道，今年，美国农民种植了282万公顷的非生物技术大豆，比去年241万公顷显著增加。然而，这只占今年美国大豆总播种面积3,140万公顷的9％。
去年非生物技术大豆占美国播种面积（3,060万公顷）的8％。种植转基因大豆的农民比例从去年的92％略微下降到今年的91％，是2000年以来出现的首次下降。
该报告把非生物技术大豆播种面积的增加归因于与生物技术大豆相比，其较高的溢价（每蒲式耳1.00美元到2.75美元）以及较低的种子成本。生物工程大豆植物所能抵抗的草甘膦除草剂成本也从15美元/加仑增加到50美元/加仑。
CFTC收回允许基金超过农产品限制的信函
CFTC Withdraws Letters Allowing Funds To Exceed Ag Limits
8月19日，商品期货交易委员会（CFTC）说他们正准备收回所谓的不采取行动的函件，这些信函允许两家公司免于大豆、玉米和小麦的期货合同中的投机头寸限制。CFTC说它将撤回给予德意志银行的DB商品服务有限公司和Gresham投资管理有限公司的有关免除限制的决定，后者是一家总部设在纽约的60亿美元资金的管理机构。这两封信函允许这些无套保豁免资格的公司超过投机头寸限制，而不受CFTC的处罚。给DB商品服务公司的信件适用于其玉米和小麦期货头寸；第二封信件则与在CBOT交易的玉米、大豆和小麦头寸相关。CFTC说，它将与这些受此影响的公司一道努力，“将头寸调整到当前联邦投机限制之内”。
该机构没有详细解释为何撤回这些信函的原因，只是说CFTC的市场监管部先前得到通知“任何状况或条件的变化都可能引起不同的结论”，而且“这些企业所采取的交易策略在该委员会的规定下不符合真实的套保豁免的资格。”
“应该始终如一地坚持并强有力地实施头寸限制，”CFTC主席加利·坚斯勒（Gary Gensler）在一份声明中说。“头寸限制通过预防密集的头寸而促进了市场的完整性。”
在今夏早些时候参院听证会上坚斯勒说，CFTC 将审查那些准许免于农产品期货头寸限制的不采取行动的函件。这些不采取行动的函件不同于那些准许以商业经营为目的进行交易的“真实”套保者的头寸限制豁免。相反，不采取行动信函称，CFTC的市场监管部会建议该委员会在收函人超过头寸限制时不采取强制行动。
六月份，参院下属的常设调查委员会发布了一份报告坚决主张商品指数交易者的过度投机导致了一些小麦期货合约价格出现前所未有的波动。它要求CFTC逐步取消不采取行动的豁免做法及其准许商品指数交易者超过其可以持有的商品合约数量的做法。虽然该报告具体处理了一些小麦期货合约的问题，但是该下属委员会的工作人员说，过度投机和不采取行动的豁免做法也延伸到了其它农产品。美国的立法者还在考虑为更加准确地规定获得免除头寸限制的资格进行立法。
拜耳公司收购作物生物技术公司――Athenix公司
Bayer Buys Crop Biotechnology Company Athenix
在将一些专门发展作物技术的公司进行合并的一项交易中，拜耳作物科学公司正在全盘收购有风投背景的Athenix公司。Athenix公司在开发抗化学品和虫害的转基因植物。在2008年，Athenix公司与先正达公司签署合约研究开发大豆和玉米的防护产品。该公司还开发出抗除草剂和控制虫害新方法的平台。
该交易还需要法规部门的批准。（一旦批准，）它将不仅给拜耳作物科学公司提供上述平台，而且还将“显著”扩大其研发能力，该公司说。
中国给本地榨油企业提供补贴不太可能影响进口量
Chinese Subsidies For Local Crushers Unlikely To Affect Imports
中国国务院正在考虑一项提议，要求给予每吨200元人民币（29.30美元）来帮助东北的工厂压榨国产大豆。这项行动将帮助出售国家大豆储备中的巨量库存，但不太可能伤害到进口，因为内陆省份黑龙江只压榨国产作物，交易商说。
由于买家对政府每周大豆拍卖所设定的高价大豆鲜有兴趣，导致国家大豆储备的交易量很小，北京急于出售这些储备以在两个月后的新收获季节之前腾空库容，因此提议进行补贴。中国是世界上最大的大豆进口国，其沿海大豆加工厂的压榨利润近期得以改善，他们在过去的几周增加了美国新产大豆作物的进口。
八月份中国的大豆进口量可能从六月份创纪录的471万吨和七月份440万吨的进口量下降到300万吨左右。然而，中国交易商预期在九月份和十月份的较低进口量之后，在此之后的月度进口量将回到正常水平（每月约300万吨）。
黑龙江省的压榨企业有了这些补贴，就愿意从国储采购大豆，因为在政府实施大豆收储计划缩紧该地区供应之后，很多企业都面临着供应短缺。
大豆类产品涨跌不一
Soy Complex Mixed
大豆类产品期货价格8月20日收市时涨跌互现，新季大豆和豆粕合约稍微收低，而旧茬作物的合约有些强势表现。九月大豆期货价格上涨0.83美元，结于367.16美元；十一月期货跌去0.37美元，收于351.63美元；而一月期货下降1.29美元，结于352.56美元。九月豆粕期货上涨11.68美元，收于360.64美元；十月期货提高3.09美元，结于320.11美元；十二月豆粕则高收0.11美元，结于321.39美元。九月豆油下滑6.83美元，结于789.25美元；十月期货下降7.05美元，收于793.44美元；而十二月期货跌去6.83美元，收于802.25美元。
The Soy Export Weekly Update
U.S. Farmers Planting More Non Biotech Soybeans Then Last Year
U.S. farmers planted 2.82 million hectares of non-biotech soybeans this year, a significant increase over last year’s plantings of 2.41 million hectares, according to the monthly publication The Organic and Non-GMO Report. However, it still represents only 9 percent of total U.S. soybean plantings this year on 31.4 million hectares.
Last year non-biotech soybeans accounted for 8 percent of total U.S. plantings (30.6 million hectares). The percentage of farmers growing transgenic soybeans decreased slightly from 92 percent last year to 91 percent this year, the first drop in plantings of biotech soybeans since 2000.
The report ascribes increased plantings of non-biotech soybeans to higher premiums ($1.00 to $2.75 per bushel) and lower seed costs compared to biotech soybeans. The cost for glyphosate herbicide to which the bioengineered soybean plans are resistant also increased from $15 to $50 per gallon.
CFTC Withdraws Letters Allowing Funds To Exceed Ag Limits
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said August 19 it was withdrawing so-called noaction letters that allowed two firms to avoid speculative positions limits for soybeans, corn and wheat futures contracts. The CFTC said it will withdraw exemptions granted to Deutsche Bank AG’s DB Commodity Service LLC and Gresham Investment Management LLC, a $6 billion New York-based money manager. Both letters allowed the firms, which did not qualify for hedging exemptions, to exceed speculative position limits without reprisal from the CFTC. The letter to DB Commodity Services pertained to its positions in corn and wheat futures; the second letter related to positions in corn, soybeans, and wheat traded on the CBOT. The CFTC said it will work with the affected firms “as they transition to positions within current federal speculative limits.”
The agency did not detail why the letters were withdrawn but said the CFTC’s Division of Market Oversight previously had been informed that “any change in circumstances or conditions could result in a different conclusion” and the “the trading strategies employed by these entities would not qualify for a bona fide hedge exemption under the commission’s regulations.”
“Position limits should be consistently applied and vigorously enforced,” CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler said in a statement. “Position limits promote market integrity by guarding against concentrated positions.”
Gensler, in Senate testimony earlier in the summer, said the CFTC would be reviewing no-action letters granting relief from agriculture position limits. The no-action letters are not the same as exemptions from position limits, which are granted to “bona fide” hedgers trading for commercial business purposes. Instead, the no-action letters state that the CFTC’s Department of Market Oversight would not recommend to the commission that it take enforcement action if their recipients exceeded position limits.
In June, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations issued a report arguing that excessive speculation by commodity index traders has led to unprecedented volatility in a certain wheat futures contract. It asked the CFTC to phase out no-action waivers and exemptions it had granted commodity index traders over the number of contracts they could hold in the commodity. While the report dealt specifically with a certain wheat futures contract, the subcommittee staff said the issue of excessive speculation and the no-action waivers extended to other agriculture products as well. U.S. lawmakers are also considering legislation that would more narrowly define who can be exempt from position limits.
Bayer Buys Crop Biotechnology Company Athenix
Bayer CropScience is buying up venture capital-backed Athenix in a deal that combines companies focused on advances in crop technology. Athenix is developing transgenic plants that are resistant to chemicals and pests. In 2008, Athenix landed contract with Syngenta to research potential development of protective products for soybeans and corn. The company has also developed a platform for creation of herbicide tolerance and insect control.
The deal, which needs regulatory approval, not only will provider Bayer CropScience with that platform but also “significantly” expand its research and development capabilities, the company said.
Chinese Subsidies For Local Crushers Unlikely To Affect Imports
China’s State Council is considering a proposal to give subsidies of ¥200 ($29.30) per tonne to help plants in the northeast crush domestic crops. The move would help the sale of huge stockpiles of state soybean reserves but was unlikely to hurt imports as soybean plants in the inland province of Heilongjiang crushed only domestic crops, traders said.
The subsidy was proposed because few buyers were interested in the high prices set at the government’s weekly soybean auctions, leading to thin trade of state soybean reserves, which Beijing was eager to sell to free storage space ahead of a new harvest in two months. Soy plants in coastal areas of China, the world’s largest soybean importer, have increased imports of the new U.S. soy crop over past weeks after crushing margins recently improved.
China’s soybean imports in August are likely to fall to around 3 million tonnes from record June imports of 4.71 million tonnes and 4.4 million tonnes in July. However, Chinese traders expect that after lower imports for September and October, monthly imports afterwards will be back to normal levels (about 3 million tonnes each month).
With the subsidy, crushers in Heilongjiang province are willing to buy soybeans from state reserves as many face a supply shortage after the government soybean stockpiling campaign, which has crimped supply in the area.
Soy Complex Mixed
The soy complex closed mixed on August 20 with new-crop soybean and soybean meal contracts a bit lower and the old-crop contracts exhibiting some strength. September bean futures were up $0.83, finishing at $367.16; November lost $0.37, closing at $351.63; and January was down $1.29, ending at $352.56. September meal increased $11.68, closing at $360.64; October was $3.09 higher, finishing at $320.11; and December meal closed up $0.11, ending at $312.39. September soyoil was $6.83 lower, finishing at $789.25; October was down $7.05, closing at $793.44; and December lost $6.83, closing at $802.25.
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