Despite an acreage decline in 2025 to 85,544 hectares, South Africa expects uptick production of wine grapes in 2026. Industry body, South Africa Wine says it is approaching the coming harvest with “cautious optimism,”per a Sunday World report of December 17, 2025. The association cited private cellar-crop growers’ optimism on the likelihood of a marginally...
Former South American sugar capital, Guyana, is chasing waning production glory by building a white sugar factory in January 2026. The US$20-million Demerara Sugar Refinery Inc (DSRI) at Wales will process a maximum of 100 tonnes per annum. Although only a trickle compared to brown sugar, the additional white sugar will help meet growing demand...
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has kickstarted the ice fishing season for the northern region in mid-December 2025, following a cold snap. Arctic cold blasts were settling on lakes and rivers across three-quarters of the northern region around December 9, according to the DNR. This means fishers can take their baiting gear to such...
Nigeria-United States agricultural trade looks onto more than doubling annually to $700 million in 2025 amid burgeoning wheat trade. A post on X by the U.S.’ diplomatic mission to Abuja on December 9, 2025 revealed this projection, per confirming reports. The figure mainly reflects farm imports from the United States worth $500 million, according to...
The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) of Uganda and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) are developing homegrown aromatic rice (oryza sativa) varieties to boost production. According to the NARO’s cereals program leader Dr. Jimmy Lamo on December 11, 2025, the new varieties currently await governmental approval. The initiative partly seeks to benefit farmers by reducing...
Kenya has hailed rapid progress in exporting flowers to Georgia during a bilateral meeting in Tbilisi on December 11, 2025. Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe told Georgia’s Environmental Protection & Agriculture Minister David Songulashvili of an aim to “expand top exports.” He cited flowers as Kenya’s leading export to Georgia in 2024 at 777.8 million shillings ($6.033...
Eastern Cape Breton in northern Nova Scotia in Canada has made a leap by electrifying an indigenous lobster fleet towards zero carbon emissions. The Membertou Electric Lobster Commercial Demonstration Project thereby launches the Membertou First Nation fishery into zero emission status. Cape Breton island, home to the indigenous Membertou community, lands from 25% to 40% of Nova Scotia’s annual lobster value....
The United States is in avocado gold rush mood, with domestic market volumes poised to hit an unprecedented 3 billion pounds in 2025. On December 8, 2025, the Hass Avocado Board (HAB) proclaimed that home volumes from growers, packers, exporters and importers fueled the breakthrough. The HAB cites that the country has been chasing this...
Egypt and Saudi Arabia have entered a new chapter for harvesting sugarcane in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. For Egypt, it is a new double-harvester that will likely bring sugarcane cutting efficiency to 100%. A research on the journal Scientific Reports introduces the revolutionary machine, via an Agritech Insights story on December 7, 2025. The Aswan University’s...
There is only minimal impact of cyclone Ditwah on inundated tea plantations in Sri Lanka that grow various Camellia sinensis varieties, an industry body says. Analysts labeled the early December 2025 cyclone that impacted over 2 million people, including tea growers, the worst in a century. It even prompted President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to declare a state...