Amid softening demand in South America, the Middle East, and East and Southeast Asia, US corn exports have found a bright spot in NAFTA, where import demand has increased by nine percent since last year, the US Department of Agriculture said in its July crop circular reports posted on the Foreign Agricultural Service Web site.

Canada's stronger appetite is fueled by higher livestock feeding and industrial use. Mexico's demand is growing rapidly largely due to its expanding poultry sector. Although US exports elsewhere in the world have fluctuated over the past four years due to competition, NAFTA has remained a steady and strong market. (OsterDowJones Commodity Wire. News Provided by COMTEX.)