A bluefin tuna in Japan weighing 276 kg (607.2 pounds) recently sold at a record 207 million yen ($1.3 million) on January 5, 2025. This is the second highest live price since the start of record-keeping in 1999.  The auction for the giant fish took place smack on the 2025 tuna season opener at the Toyosu Fish Market in Tokyo.  Bid-winning sushi...

As the Hamas war marches past its 460th day, the Israel tomato price monitor is ticking downward after a 90% local supply rally. According to the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture Oren Lavie, wholesale rates were down by 4 shekels ($1.09) to the kg on January 1, 2025. Wholesale tomatoes that had been trading at 11 shekels ($3) a kg in...

At a time when the world is handling a progressive sugar price decline, Indian subcontinental sugar supply is down, forcing prices up. In Pakistan, government radio on January 3, 2025 sent a statement detailing how the state will rein in the steep prices. During the broadcast, the Minister of Industries and Production Rana Tanveer invoked an inter-provincial meeting to control prices....

After ameliorating a little in December 2024, global orange juice prices rose again in early January 2025 to $5.0479 per pound. This is even as weather-related shortage in Spain and Florida weigh in. Prices of the popular refreshment could remain strong, even going beyond the 2024 high of $5.5550 per pound back in September.   Although Egypt had partially covered the juicing orange gap in...

President Cyril Ramaphosa accompanied by local meat packer, Beefmaster Group, have explored red meat export opportunities for South Africa in Algeria.   During the trade call in late 2024, Ramaphosa and the group’s CEO Gert Blignaut promoted their sector’s strengths to potential importers in Algeria. One of the opportunities is the trailblazing footprint of South Africa’s lamb and beef in the Levant...

Although 2024 brought Pakistan an agricultural sector growth of 6.25%, the minimum support price (msp) of wheat in Punjab suffered state defaulting. While the state government had promised 3,900 Pakistani rupees ($14) per 40 kg bag as the wheat msp, the plan somehow fell through. The World Bank-supported msp of wheat has been helping local farmers who produce 75% of national wheat avoid middlemen....

A dry season, a milling revolution, upshot international coffee prices and a timely harvest have gifted Kenya’s premium coffee a temporary break. Farmers have from November 2024 been enjoying high rates from roasters, spot on the country’s strategic October-December harvest. Weekly prices at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange on December 4, 2024 shows grade AA cost between $292 and 380 (37,5950-48,925 shillings) per 50 kg....

Official reports indicate that rice production in Russia in 2024 has surpassed 1.2 million tonnes, 17% more than in 2023. According to a preliminary update by the Agriculture Ministry, the rise in production matched planted area expansion at 207,000 hectares. Leading sources include the southern province of Krasnodar, which reaped some 829,000 tonnes or three-quarters of the total. Other leading production...

The trading world is dominated by metals, oil and other commodities but rarely does an organic commodity excel above these. In 2024, cacao beans which emanate mainly from Ivory Coast and elsewhere did just that thanks to steep pricing.  According to experts in Chicago, cocoa tailed off 2024 as the top market performer after experiencing 172% yearly gains. A major reason for this massive...

Grapes and olives define New Year’s Eve in Spain and in 2025 people celebrated with the 12 grapes eating tradition. From towns in Alicante province in southeastern Spain to Murcia and Madrid, residents on December 31, 2024 scrambled to eat all twelve fruits. Consuming the fruits between the 12 strokes of the midnight bells apparently brings good luck in the twelve months ahead. Conflicting...