USDA RAISES SOVIET GRAIN IMPORT ESTIMATE
The U.S. Agriculture Department
increased its estimate of Soviet 1986/87 grain imports to 26
mln tonnes from last month's projection of 23 mln tonnes.
    In its monthly USSR Grain Situation and Outlook, USDA said
the increase reflected the return of the Soviet Union to the
U.S. corn market and continued purchases of both wheat and
coarse grain from other major suppliers.
    USSR wheat imports were projected at 15 mln tonnes, up one
mln from last month's estimate and 700,000 tonnes below the
preliminary 1985/86 figure.
    Soviet grain for feed use was estimated at a record 129 mln
tonnes. Record or near-record livestock inventories, along with
a dry fall which likely reduced late season pasturage, and a
cold winter have increased feed demand, USDA said.
    USSR meat and egg production in January rose only slightly
from the previous January's level, while milk production
increased by nearly six pct.
    Unusually cold weather in January and smaller increases in
roughage supplies during 1986 than in 1985 kept livestock
production from expanding as much as it did a year earlier,
USDA said.
 Reuter
