The European Commission has increased its forecast of common wheat exports from the European Union’s 27 member countries in 2020-21 to 27 million tonnes from 26 million projected last month. That remained well below the 36.9 million tonnes estimated for 2019-20, reflecting a sharp drop in harvest supply this season, the commission’s grain supply-and-demand data
EU raises 2020-21 wheat export forecast, cuts maize imports
Second activist investor buys into Elanco
Reuters — Hedge fund Starboard Value LP has taken a stake in Elanco Animal Health and nominated three directors to the animal healthcare company’s board, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The WSJ report did not mention the size of Starboard’s stake in Elanco, which makes treatments for pets
Farmers’ net cash income improves as crop prices soar
Winnipeg | Reuters — Canadian farmers reaped record profits last year and are on track to do the same this year, the federal agriculture ministry said on Thursday, as prices for its top crops soared. Prices of canola hit all-time highs this month, rallying with oilseed rival soybeans, on brisk Chinese buying to produce feed
Kazakhstan’s president orders ban on foreign ownership of farmland
Almaty | Reuters — Kazakhstan will permanently ban foreigners from owning or renting farmland in the vast central Asian nation, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Thursday, ending a lengthy dispute that once prompted anti-government protests. Kazakhstan is a major producer of grains, oilseeds and meat in the former Soviet region sandwiched between China and Russia
China finds illegal work on genetically modified crops
The nation has signalled it will accept the technology, but has not yet officially done so
China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has found eight companies and research institutes that illegally produced or carried out research on genetically modified (GM) seeds. The companies included two seed marketing companies in northeast Liaoning province and two corn breeders in northwest Xinjiang province that were producing GM corn seed. The ministry said seeds
Nutrien beats profit expectation on strong potash sales
Reuters — Canadian fertilizer maker Nutrien posted fourth-quarter profit above analysts’ estimates on Wednesday as potash demand rose amid rising crop prices, sending its U.S.-listed shares up in extended trade. Fertilizer producers have benefited from high U.S. crop exports, including record-large corn sales to China. With crop prices touching multi-year highs, farmers are poised to
German cabinet approves legislation to ban glyphosate from 2024
Law would still need parliamentary approval
Berlin | Reuters — Farmers in Germany will have to gradually reduce their use of glyphosate and stop using it completely from 2024 in order to preserve clean habitats for insects, under draft legislation passed by the country’s cabinet on Wednesday. “The exit from glyphosate is coming. Conservationists have been working toward this for a
U.S. trade body rules blueberry imports do not harm industry
Canada among top five nations selling blueberries into U.S.
Washington/Mexico City | Reuters — The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled on Thursday that blueberry imports are not causing serious injury to domestic producers and will not recommend further action to reduce foreign supplies, in a win for berry exporters. In recent years, U.S. producers have claimed damages from what they argue are unfair
Germany orders 20,000 turkeys culled as bird flu found on another farm
About 20,000 turkeys will be slaughtered after bird flu was found on another poultry farm in Germany, authorities said Jan 29. Type H5N8 bird flu was confirmed in a farm in the Ludwigslust-Parchim area in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, said the Ludwigslust-Parchim local government authority. A series of outbreaks of bird flu have been
Pot producer Canopy Growth sees profit in 2022
Costs cut, revenue increasing
Reuters — Canopy Growth Corp., the world’s largest pot producer, said on Tuesday it expects to turn a profit in the second half of 2022 after aggressive cost-cutting and higher demand for cannabis products helped narrow third-quarter losses. Canadian pot producers have been under pressure from investors seeking returns as profits remain elusive due to