In Brief… – for May. 26, 2011

Accelerated efficiency: The chief executive of Viterra says plans to scrap the Canadian Wheat Board’s marketing monopoly on western wheat and barley would likely accelerate improvements to the grain transportation system. “Obviously, change brings more change, so that certainly may accelerate that change in creating greater efficiencies in that system,” said Mayo Schmidt May 18.

Brazil Farms Poised For Record Investment Boom

Brazilian farmers are spending like never before on farm equipment, fertilizer and other investments, a possible sea change in rural sentiment that could boost long-term output in a country that barely scratches the surface of its agricultural potential. An unprecedented $122 billion is expected to flow into the farm sector this year, up 12 per


Kazakhstan Lowers Grain Exports To Curb Inflation

Kazakhstan lowered its exportable grain surplus by 14 per cent to six million tonnes this season after diverting extra stocks to battle rising inflation, Agriculture Ministry officials said Mar. 17. Kazakhstan, the world’s seventh- largest wheat exporter, had previously said it would have seven million tonnes of grain available for export in the current season,

China To Promote GM Crop Planting

China will promote the planting of genetically modified crops over the next five years to 2015,Caijing Magazine’swebsite March 13 cited a senior agricultural official as saying. Chen Mengshan, the Agriculture Ministry’s chief economist, gave no further details, according to the report carried on www.caijing.com.cn. China is the largest producer of GMO cotton, but it has


Mexico Allows GM Corn Trials To Proceed

Mexico has approved the first pilot program to plant genetically modified corn, a sensitive topic in the country that touts itself as the birthplace of corn and where small farmers worry the high-tech grain may contaminate native varieties. The Agriculture Ministry granted a permit March 8 to global biotech seed maker Monsanto to plant no

In Brief… – for Mar. 10, 2011

Cash for clunkers:Russia will spend an extra four billion rubles from this year’s budget to subsidize farm equipment leasing and may look into a “cash for clunkers” scheme to boost tractor purchases, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said. “I hope it will help reap a good harvest and stabilize the situation with food prices,” he told


Indonesia Links Good Data To Food Security

Indonesia’s Agriculture Ministry and statistics agency have signed an agreement aimed at releasing more agriculture data, to help food-security planning in the world’s fourth-most-populous nation. Like many emerging markets, Indonesia is battling booming global food prices, and has been forced to import various foods as it grapples with inflation. Analysts also say a lack of

South Korea Looks To Expand Overseas Grain Farming

South Korea, the world’s fourth-largest grain importer, plans to expand overseas grain production to ensure supply and curb inflation as it faces record-high grain prices. The Finance Ministry said in a statement March 2 that it would form a task force team with the ministries of Agriculture and Foreign Affairs to prepare measures by the


China Drought Area Shrinks Fast

The wheat acreage affected by a drought in eight Chinese provinces has fallen by two-thirds since Feb. 8 to 2.52 million hectares, the Ministry of Water Resources said in a statement on its website on Monday. That means the drought area has more than halved since last Thursday, when it was 5.71 million hectares, according

Food Price Rises Bring Risk Of New Riots

France’s agriculture minister warned the United Nations Feb. 18 that food riots like those of three years ago could break out around the world because of steep rises in food prices. Bruno Le Maire was addressing the General Assembly after the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reported earlier this month that its food price index