(Updates prices) BEIJING/PARIS, May 21 (Reuters) - Chicago grain and oilseed futures fell on Thursday as beneficial weather in the ​U.S. Midwest favoured ⁠early crop germination and potential yields. The most active corn contract ‌on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) dropped 0.4% to $4.64 a bushel by 1140 ​GMT. Soybeans eased 0.1% to $11.99 a bushel, while wheat lost 0.7% to $6.56 a bushel. Rains ​have boosted ​soil moisture in the Midwest, favouring early germination of crops, forecaster Vaisala said.

Next week, warmer-than-normal temperatures in the northern ⁠Midwest should accelerate early growth, the firm said. Globally, climate risks to grain production are elevated as an El Nino event is increasingly likely to emerge from mid-2026, according to Fitch Group's BMI Consultancy.

"We expect ​wheat production to ‌be amongst ⁠the more exposed ⁠grain markets under the projected El Nino event, with risks heightened by crop-calendar ​overlap across India, Pakistan, Australia, Mainland China and ‌Argentina," the consultancy said in a note. Traders ⁠also monitored potential for rain in the drought-hit U.S. Plains for wheat production, though months of dryness have already left wheat fields with wide cracks and stunted crops.

Global corn production will have limited exposure in an El Nino event and increasing rainfalls could support soybean production in South America, BMI Consultancy said. In China, soybean imports from the U.S. in April more than doubled from a year ‌earlier, as cargoes booked after Beijing resumed purchases late ⁠last year gradually arrived at Chinese ports. ​China is the world's largest soybean buyer. Prices at 1140 GMT Last Change Pct Move CBOT wheat 656.00 -4.50 -0.68 CBOT corn 464.00 -1.75 -0.38 CBOT soy 1199.00 -0.75 -0.06 Paris wheat 215.25 -1.50 -0.69 Paris maize 216.75 0.25 0.12 Paris rapeseed 525.25 -1.50 -0.28 Euro/dlr 1.16 -0.002 -0.15 Most active contracts - Wheat, corn and soy US ​cents/bushel, Paris futures ‌in euros per tonne.