Indonesia should be able to tackle its cooking oil shortage in the next few weeks and lift an export ban on palm oil and its refined products in May, an industry body said on April 28, a day after a last-minute policy U-turn sparked more alarm for markets. The world’s top palm oil producer expanded
Indonesia industry group confident palm oil export ban could end in May
Ukraine, Bulgaria reach grain shipping agreement
Ukrainian grain will travel to market via Bulgarian Port of Varna
Ukraine and Bulgaria have reached an agreement on transporting Ukrainian grain via the Bulgarian Port of Varna, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after talks on April 28 with Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov. He gave no timeline and provided no details of the volumes of grain to be shipped via Varna on the Black Sea.
CF Industries profit soars as sanctions raise fertilizer prices
Chicago | Reuters — CF Industries on Wednesday reported quarterly earnings climbed 485 per cent as the fertilizer maker ramped up U.S. shipments after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine catapulted prices for crop nutrients. Top fertilizer producers including CF, Nutrien and Mosaic Co. have benefited as sanctions on exporters Russia and ally Belarus limited global supplies
Pot producer Canopy Growth to cut 250 jobs in profitability bid
Reuters — Canopy Growth Corp. said it would lay off about 250 employees as part of a cost-cutting plan as the Canadian pot producer tries to achieve long-elusive profitability. Most Canadian marijuana companies have struggled to turn a profit despite more than three years of cannabis legalization due to fewer-than-expected retail stores, cheaper rates on
China reports first human case of H3N8 bird flu
Beijing | Reuters — China has recorded the first human infection with the H3N8 strain of bird flu, the country’s health authority said on Tuesday, but said the risk of it spreading among people was low. A four-year-old boy from central Henan province was found to have been infected with the variant after developing a
H7N3 avian flu found in chickens in Mexico, near Texas border
Mexico City | Reuters — Mexico’s agriculture ministry on Saturday reported outbreaks of highly pathogenic H7N3 bird flu virus in two hatching egg production barns in the northern state of Coahuila, which borders on Texas. The strain in question has existed in some regions of the country since 2012, the ministry said in a statement.
U.S. says sanctions on Russia don’t affect humanitarian aid, ag exports
Washington | Reuters — The United States on Tuesday took steps to make clear that U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine do not stand in the way of humanitarian assistance and agricultural and medical exports, among other support. The U.S. Treasury Department in a fact sheet outlined that Americans can engage
Ukraine grain storage shortage adds to farmers’ woes
Zurich | Reuters — Ukraine has insufficient storage capacity even for its reduced 2022 grain harvest, the United Nations’ World Food Programme said Tuesday, with the country struggling to export existing stocks during the invasion by Russia. Jakob Kern, the World Food Programme’s emergency co-ordinator in Ukraine, cited estimates that 20 per cent of planted
CF Industries warns of shipment delays via Union Pacific
Reuters — Fertilizer firm CF Industries on Thursday warned of delays in shipment of its nitrogen fertilizers, a week after Union Pacific mandated certain shippers to reduce the volume of private cars on its rails. The announcement of delay also comes a month after CF said it is increasing fertilizer shipments to both U.S. coasts
Ukraine could lack seed for years, French producers warn
Paris | Reuters — Reduced production of crop seed in Ukraine due to war with Russia could affect the country’s grain production for several years, a French seed industry group said on Thursday. Ukraine, one of the world’s largest grain exporters, is widely expected to see its harvest shrink this year as Russia’s invasion disrupts