CIF/FOB Gulf Grain-Corn, soy barge bids inch higher

CHICAGO, March 19 (Reuters) - Spot basis bids for soybeans and corn delivered by barge to the U.S. Gulf Coast firmed modestly on Wednesday, reflecting a slow pace of grain sales by farmers and some barge delays on the mid-Mississippi River, traders said.

High winds crossed the mid-Mississippi River on Wednesday afternoon, weather maps showed, sidelining barge traffic. The National Weather Service posted wind advisories and "red flag" warnings in the region, indicating winds combined with low humidity levels.

Ongoing repairs on Lock 27 near St. Louis have also slowed barge movement, barge sources said.

CIF Gulf corn barges loaded in March were bid at 68 cents over Chicago Board of Trade May CK25 corn futures, up a penny from Tuesday.

FOB export premiums for corn shipped from the Gulf in April were around 78 cents over CBOT May futures, up 1 cent from Tuesday.

For soybeans, CIF Gulf barges loaded in March were bid at 80 cents over CBOT May SK25 soybean futures, up 3 cents from Tuesday.

FOB offers for soybeans shipped from the Gulf in April were around 90 cents over May futures, down 2 cents.

Ahead of Thursday's weekly export sales report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, traders expect the government to report U.S. corn sales in the week ended March 13 at 800,000 to 1,700,000 metric tons. Traders estimated weekly soybean export sales at 400,000 to 900,000 tons and wheat sales at 300,000 to 700,000 tons. USDA/EST

President Donald Trump's plan to revive U.S. shipbuilding using massive fees on China-linked ship visits to American ports is stoking uncertainty in the agriculture market, as exporters struggle to find ships to send goods abroad.

For displays of CIF basis, click on the codes in brackets:
U.S. CIF Gulf soybeans GRYM
U.S. CIF Gulf corn GRYN
U.S. CIF Gulf SRW wheat GRYO
U.S. CIF Gulf HRW wheat GRYP
For displays of FOB basis, please click on the following codes in brackets:
U.S. FOB Gulf corn GRZC
U.S. FOB Gulf soybeans GRZD
U.S. FOB Gulf SRW wheat GRZE
U.S. FOB Gulf HRW wheat GRZF

LINKS Corn prices page:   cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageid=corn-cash-market
Wheat prices page:  cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageid=wheat-cash-market
U.S. barge freight                  BG/US
U.S. export sales estimates         USDA/EST
U.S. grain export summary           GRA/U
Brazil soybean export prices        SYBS
Brazil corn export prices           SYBX
Argentina grain prices              GRA/ARG
Russia grain prices                 GRA/RU