*
U.S. export sales data lower than expected for soybeans
*
EU transit plan, Black Sea inspections temper Ukraine
fears
*
Favourable weather for U.S. crops ease concerns
(Adds closing prices, changes headline, changes bullets,
changes lead)
By Cassandra Garrison
April 20 (Reuters) - Chicago grains closed lower
Thursday on lower-than-expected U.S. soybean export sales data,
and favourable weather that would allow for planting to
accelerate in the Midwest farm belt.
Grains prices were also impacted by crude oil falling.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said soybean weekly
export sales totalled 103,000 tonnes, below forecasts.
"Export sales were almost nonexistent," said Tom Fritz, a partner with EFG Group in Chicago. "Brazil is dominating the world export scene and has enough beans to handle the shortfall from Argentina, so we're faced with a lack of demand here (in the United States)."
Corn export sales for the week totalled 734,400 tonnes, while wheat totalled 305,100 tonnes.
Weather in the U.S. Midwest was predicted to be drier and warmer, allowing for planting. Needed rains were forecast in the U.S. Southern Plains, which were expected to help along wheat crops.
The most-active soybean contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) settled 10-1/4 cents lower at $14.68-1/2 per bushel. Corn closed 10-1/2 cents lower at $6.26 per bushel, while wheat settled down 12-3/4 cents at $6.80 per bushel.
Inspections of ships carrying Ukrainian grain from Black Sea
ports were expected to continue under a UN-brokered deal, though
Kyiv faces a struggle to secure an extension of the deal with
Moscow.
Russia's foreign minister, however, said almost nothing has
been done to address Moscow's concerns, when asked about the
future of the Black Sea grains deal.
A European Union plan on Wednesday to permit Ukrainian
grains to continue being transported across five countries in
the east of the bloc for onward export reduced the risk of a
halt to Ukrainian shipments via the EU.
Large Russian exports and favourable prospects for this
year's Russian harvest were also tempering supply concerns.
(Reporting by Cassandra Garrison in Mexico City, Gus Trompiz in
Paris and Naveen Thukral in Singapore; editing by Uttaresh
Venkateshwaran and Richard Chang)
