Gloom, Frustration Mark Doha Talks

Gloomy negotiators are expressing frustration at the lack of progress in the World Trade Organization’s Doha round, even as they hold an intensive series of meetings intended to secure a breakthrough. “We have a credibility problem… these are lean times,” said the ambassador of one emerging country, as he left a meeting of key delegations

Global Warming Could Worsen Australia, India Droughts

Global warming may have spawned a new type of El Nińo in the central Pacific and this could worsen the droughts in Australia and India, a new study by researchers in South Korea and the United States has found. While the conventional El Nińo is a warm body of water stretching across the tropical eastern


Briefs continued – for Oct. 1, 2009

No deal: Canadian fertilizer maker Agrium Inc. has again extended its hostile offer for U. S. rival CF Industries Holdings Inc., which again said it wasn’t interested. The offer of $40 in cash plus one Agrium share for each CF share was set to expire Sept. 22, but is now set to expire on Oct.

Canada Defends Wheat Board Monopoly At WTO

Canada’s Conservative government is defending the Canadi an Wheat Board’s grain-marketing monopoly at World Trade Organization talks, even though it has long said it wants to scrap it, CWB chairman Larry Hill said Sept. 17. “We had good assurance from the Government of Canada that farmers’ (ability to) adhere to the single desk will be


China Sees Good Grain Harvest

China’s agriculture minister said the country is still expecting a bumper harvest of autumn grain despite drought and early frost in major growing areas in the northeast. “The severe drought since August in parts of the northeast and south have affected grains production, but for the whole country, if there is no major weather disaster,

Dairy Farmers Burn Hay, Dump Milk In Price Protest

European dairy farmers set hay on fire and spilled milk in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels Sept. 21 and warned their protest over low milk prices would intensify. About 80,000 dairy farmers across Europe have joined a milk supply boycott which is now in its 10th day. They are demanding the EU


Cargill CFO Sees Signs Of Economic Recovery

The chief financial officer of U. S. agribusiness giant and trading firm Cargill Inc. said Aug. 18 he sees signs that emerging economies were recovering and was cautiously optimistic about growth in the months ahead. “I think emerging markets continue to offer the best opportunities. That is where the economic activity is best right now,”

In Brief… – for Aug. 20, 2009

Be slap happy: August 20 is World Mosquito Day – a day set aside to raise awareness of the importance of mosquito control. “Mosquitoes cause more human suffering than any other organism, and afflict not only humans, but animals as well,” the American Mosquito Control Association says in a release. The annual event was originated


Briefs continued – for Aug. 20, 2009

More wheat: The U. S. Agriculture Department bumped up its forecast for the world wheat crop this month, thanks to strong crops in India, the United States, China, Ukraine and most of Europe, but said drought has trimmed prospects for Russia, Argentina and Canada. World wheat production for 2009-10 was forecast at 659.29 million tonnes,

In Brief… – for Aug. 13, 2009

One in nine Americans seeking food aid: More than 34 million Americans received food stamps last May, signalling one of the longest and deepest recessions since the Great Depression. Enrolment surged by two per cent to reach a record 34.4 million people, or one in nine Americans, in May. It was the sixth month in