U.S./SOVIET GRAIN MEETING UNLIKELY THIS SUMMER
Prospects appear slim for a summer
meeting between U.S. and Soviet officials before the two
countries enter the final year of their bilateral grains
agreement, Agriculture Department officials said.
    The two sides usually try to meet as each new year of the
agreeement approaches although the last meeting was delayed up
to last February. However, any delay this year should not
endanger the fifth year of the grains agreement that extends
through September, 1988, USDA officials said.
    "It will be difficult to pull together the people for the
meeting during July," an aide to USDA undersecretary Daniel
Amstutz said.
    Since the last meeting was only around four months ago, the
next talks could still be a "couple more months," he said.
   
    There has been grain industry speculation that the USDA
will offer Moscow another wheat subsidy during the next
marketing year. But USDA officials said even if consultations
were held soon a subsidy offer would probably not be made.
    "I doubt that there would be any subsidy offer this summer
or before the next agreement year begins," a USDA source said.
    Citing limited subsidy funds and uncertainties about next
year's crops, he said, "There are too many variables now. It
would be uncharacteristic of us to make an offer now."
    Under the nonbinding pact, Moscow has agreed to purchase a
minimum of nine mln tonnes of U.S. grain per year. Soviet and
U.S. officials normally meet in the summer before the start of
a new agreement year to discuss grain quality, shipping
logistics and production outlooks.
 Reuter
