Ginger root

Farming ginger in sacks gains ground in southwestern Bangladesh

The cultivation of ginger in sacks has become a booming business in Khulna, a famous industrial center in southwestern Bangladesh. According to BSS News on June 25, 2024, 276 local growers who have ventured into this farming method are now expecting bumper yields. In its part, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) remarked that Khulna’s residents have now cultivated 13,895 sacks of the corms over...

Citrus orchard in a South African country

The South Africa citrus export cache to shrink by 11 to 19%

Wet weather could slash the South Africa citrus export volume for the April-September 2024 season. This is according to an announcement by the Citrus Growers Association (CGA) on July 23, 2024.  This could mean a dent for yearly exports, which increased slightly in 2023 to 16.5 million 15-kg cartons. Valencia and Navel oranges will see shipment volumes decrease by 11% and 19%...

Omani palm dates

Food Security in Oman improves with uptick production in North Sharqiyah

The governorate of North Sharqiyah has registered uptick agricultural production growth beginning 2021, boosting food security in Oman. Located in central-eastern Oman, the governorate saw its horticultural and fruit output in the three years ending mid-2024 reach 250,000 tonnes. While announcing these results, Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Ali al Mashaikhi, Director General of North Sharqiyah’s Agriculture and Water Resources also outlined notable...

Global sugar prices melt down as production rebounds

Global sugar prices melt down as production rebounds

Global sugar prices sunk on July 23, 2024 in the futures markets as production hubs Brazil and India reported surplus. On the 23rd,  sugar #11 or unrefined sugar for October delivery lost by –0.77% in New York, according to Barchart. This was even as refined white sugar #1 in London shed 1.39%. A spot check on Market Insider on July 24, 2024...

Farm Bill logo

Biden Ag triumphs worth noting after he quit presidential race 

Following his surprise stepping down as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, President Joe Biden Ag legacies are worth appraisal. In brief, most of his successes revolve around climate, rural funding and partially around the Farm Bill. Firstly, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on July 21, 2024 praised his close ally as among “the most consequential American presidents.”  Vilsack also summarized some...

Belize's Caribbean spiny lobster

The Florida mini-season starts amid lobster harvest regulations

At 12.01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on July 24, 2024, the Florida mini-season began with lobster harvesters heeding regulations. The two-day recreational harvest follows the bonus harvest day that residents enjoyed on July 14 courtesy of governor Ron DeSantis. This time round, recreational fishermen will follow extra rules that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) issued on July 23....

Cambodia's agriculture

The Cambodia agriculture sector helps GDP growth after 60% export growth

With a 60% growth in half-year exports for 2024, the Cambodia agriculture sector has helped boost the country’s GDP. Government experts now predict that the growth of the national economy in 2024 will stabilize at 6%. Then it will spike to 6.3% between 2025 and 2027, as production, industry and trade expand. Driving this expansion are four sectors, namely manufacturing, tourism, service...

Biome Makers’ BeCrop®Farm brings “agronomic insights on soil health” to over 200 Crops

Biome Makers’ BeCrop®Farm brings “agronomic insights on soil health” to over 200 Crops

Biome Makers, a global agritech firm, has launched a new digital platform known as BeCrop®Farm that focuses on soil health and data-based crop monitoring. The platform could therefore help stem rapid soil degradation worldwide and boost production of over 200 crops. According to the United Nations, one-third of the world’s soil has undergone degradation, despite soil supporting 95% of global...

Iranian wheat

Iraqi wheat hits a milestone with highest domestic purchases ever

Reports by Iraq’s Ministry of Trade on July 21, 2024 indicate that domestic Iraqi wheat purchases are verging on 6.3 million tonnes, the highest ever. By July 6, the government had already bought 5.9 million tonnes locally since April, per a MENA FM story that quotes Reuters. This means only 400,000 tonnes more remain to realize the state’s tonnage of exactly 6.305 million tonnes...

A rural farm in Massachusetts, US

IT outage stalls global supply systems

Reports show that the IT outage of July 19, 2024 on select computer systems grounded key global supply systems. From blue screens in teller machines to cargo delay and TV anchors reading news from printouts, the Friday outage brought mayhem. The problem emanated from a CloudStrike update that stalled 8.5 million computers or 1% of worldwide devices running Windows. CloudStrike, a cybersecurity firm,...