Beijing | Reuters — China on Friday raised its forecast for soybean imports during the 2018-19 crop year to 85 million tonnes, up from 83.65 million in last month’s outlook, after the country’s customs agency suspended some imports of rival oilseed canola. China’s ministry of agriculture and rural affairs said in its monthly forecast on […] Read more
China forecasts rising soy imports to make up for less canola
U.S. to train more beagles to sniff out swine fever
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government will increase the number of dogs used to sniff out illegal pork products at airports and seaports in an effort to keep out a contagious hog disease that has spread across Asia and Europe, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday. The disease, African swine fever, can […] Read more
India to reimburse freight for some ag exports
New Delhi | Reuters — India will provide federal support for the transportation of some farm products to make Indian goods more competitive in foreign markets, the government said in a statement Tuesday. The scheme will be applicable for a year, to March 2020. The government will reimburse the freight paid by Indian exporters through […] Read more
Maple Leaf profit misses estimates on weak pork prices
Reuters — Packaged meat producer Maple Leaf Foods missed analysts’ estimates for quarterly profit on Thursday, as weak pork prices offset growth in its prepared meats business. Pork prices have taken a beating from the Sino-U.S. trade war, with China’s retaliatory tariffs affecting demand from the South Asian country, which is the world’s biggest pork […] Read more
Tilray to buy hemp food maker Manitoba Harvest
Reuters — Shares of cannabis firm Tilray Inc. rose as much as seven per cent on Wednesday after announcing a deal to buy hemp food maker Manitoba Harvest for up to $419 million as it seeks to gain a foothold in the lucrative business. The deal comes after the U.S. farm bill, which legalized commercial […] Read more
Barley ‘price war’ seen sparked by China, Saudi demand drop
Paris | Reuters — A drop in demand from China and Saudi Arabia sent barley prices tumbling in recent weeks, despite low global supply, and price pressure may continue if harvest prospects for next season remain good, analysts at Strategie Grains said. The barley market rallied earlier in the 2018-19 season with weather-hit crops in […] Read more
Russia’s ag ministry to set up new grain exporters’ union
Moscow/Hamburg | Reuters — Russia’s agriculture ministry will set up a new grain exporters’ union to better understand the needs of the market, it said on Monday after its routine meeting with local grain traders. Traders interpreted it as a result of the close attention with which Russian officials have been monitoring how big exporters […] Read more
CP grain train ‘began to move on its own’ before fatal derailment
Winnipeg | Reuters — A Canadian Pacific Railway train was parked for a change of crew when it unexpectedly rolled down a steep embankment and derailed in British Columbia’s Rocky Mountains on Monday, killing three crew members, a transport regulator said. The train, hauling 112 cars of grain, was parked for two hours at the […] Read more
Biofuels group suing U.S. EPA over small refinery exemptions
Washington | Reuters — Biofuels group Growth Energy filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday, challenging the agency’s renewable fuel mandate for 2019 as failing to address rising waived biofuel volumes. “EPA’s inaction on addressing lost gallons due to small refinery exemptions in this rulemaking is a clear violation of […] Read more
Three crew die in CP grain train derailment
Toronto | Reuters — Three crew members died on Monday when a Canadian Pacific Railway grain train derailed in British Columbia, a Transportation Safety Board (TSB) spokesman said. The accident occurred when a train carrying 40 to 60 grain hopper cars derailed near Field, B.C., the TSB spokesman said. TSB is investigating the cause of […] Read more
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