According to a Bloomberg report, the United States is resorting to purchases of European wheat after a drought upended crop markets, pushing local prices higher.
At least two cargoes of Polish grain have arrived in Florida this year, with more expected over the next few months, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the deals are private.
Crop handler Andersons Inc. supplied the wheat to Ardent Mills’s flour factory in Tampa, the people said.
The rare imports are a blow for the United States, which has been losing its relevance in the global wheat market to top shipper Russia.
Last year’s drought has hampered shipping through the Mississippi River, making it more expensive to haul crops by rail.
The dismal weather also means American farmers are poised to abandon wheat crops at the highest rate in more than a century, making the deals profitable.