File photo of piglets at a hog operation in China. (KuLouKu/iStock/Getty Images)

China’s 2020 pork output higher than expected

Reported slowing of ASF-induced decline beats expectations

Beijing | Reuters — China’s pork output posted significant signals toward recovery last year after the sector was decimated by an incurable hog disease in 2019, official data showed Monday. China’s 2020 pork output fell 3.3 per cent from a year earlier, to 41.13 million tonnes, after plunging 21 per cent in 2019, the National


Grain being loaded on a ship at the Hudson Bay port of Churchill in 2015. Former owner OmniTrax shut down the port facility before the 2016 shipping season began. (CNS Canada photo by Jade Markus)

Grain firms warn of competitive fairness on Churchill assistance

CNS Canada — The Western Grain Elevator Association (WGEA) wants assurances that any government incentives used to upgrade the rail line to Churchill, Man., and the port there are not used to support competing businesses. Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the WGEA, said the organization’s membership of major grain-handling companies are concerned their competitors could

(Ramtrucks.com)

Heavy factory, dealer discounts fuel U.S. truck price war

Reuters — Heavy discounts of up to US$16,000 per vehicle are fueling a “truck war” among full-size pickups sold in the U.S. by the Detroit Three, a Reuters analysis shows. Strong U.S. sales this year of the highly profitable big trucks have helped offset lagging passenger car sales. But it is not clear how much

Red lentils. (Photo courtesy U.S. Dry Pea and Lentil Council)

India to double state purchases of oilseeds, pulses

New Delhi | Reuters — India’s cabinet approved on Wednesday doubling state purchases of oilseeds and pulses from farmers, in a bid to boost local output and prevent distressed sales. The amount that state agencies guarantee to buy at pre-set prices will double to 190 billion rupees (C$3.7 billion) for a five-year period ending in