Fruit exports from Mindanao, the banana-rich southeast Philippines’ island, are proving strong despite slow growth in national banana exports. For one, companies that sell durian and coconut from Davao in southern Mindanao are registering uptick trade with China. One such company is Eng Seng Food Products, which operates an export plant in the region. The company’s Chief Executive John Tan told...
How a Canada rail strike would impact regional agriculture
North American agriculture logistics could derail if wage-demanding union workers at a duo Canada rail monopoly down tools, starting August 22, 2024. The looming strike involves the agriculturally important Canadian National Railway (CNR) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC). According to a Reuters report on August 2020, a strike on both lines could halt much of their daily freight services. An immediate ramification will be...
Northwest Province in South Africa masters maize production amid changing weather
Family growers in South Africa’s semi-arid Northwest Province have radically improved maize production via traditional and modern methods. This according to research findings that appeared on The Conversation on August 16, 2024. The results come just when maize in the country is experiencing rising prices with compensatory expanding acreage. Notably, the small-scale farmer-dominated Northwest is also expanding its maize area and using new farming...
Lamb prices surge across Europe as supplies founder
Diminishing sheep numbers have occasioned uptick lamb prices by up to €1 per kg at the farm-gate through Europe. France leads the upward pricing curve, with average offers at €9.13 a kg as of August 3, 2024. This was up from August 2022’s €8.01 and August 2023’s €8.06, reported the Irish Farmers Journal on August 14. Also experiencing a similarly high annual rise is...
Coffee gains in end-week markets after Brazilian real strengthens
A strengthening Brazilian real currency delivered marginal coffee gains for September raw bean deliveries on August 15, 2024. Both Arabica and Robusta gained in prices by 1.22% and 2.21% respectively at the International Coffee Exchange (ICE) in New York . The rise happened after producers in Brazil held back exports due to the strengthening of the local currency against the dollar. ...
The U.S. lobster minimum catch size up by 1/16th Inches
Beginning July 1, 2025, the U.S. lobster landing size minimum on the Gulf of Maine will have upgraded a wee bit. This follows the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s decision to protect diminishing stocks in a state famous for its lobster rolls. According to The Boston Globe on August 18, 2024, the minimum catch size will upgrade by around 1.6 mm. Besides,...
Chico State wraps its “U-pick Peaches” campaign with student benefits
As California’s April-October peach season climaxes, Chico State University’s student-benefiting “U-pick peaches” harvest has closed in communal style. All this is thanks to a favorable agricultural environment of northern California which nurtures wine grapes, honey and peaches. Each August, the local community gets a chance to harvest peaches at the university, with the 2024 price at $3 a pound. The...
Sheep prices surge across Europe as supplies founder
Diminishing lamb stocks has seen sheep prices rise by up to €1 per kg at the farm-gate in different countries in Europe. France led the upward pricing curve at €9.13 a kg as of August 3, 2024. This was up from August 2022’s €8.01 and August 2023’s €8.06, reported the Irish Farmers Journal on August 14. Also experiencing a similarly high annual rise is Spain, whose August...
The Ecuador banana export volume to China shows 14% decline
The Sino-Ecuador banana preferential trade of May 1, 2024 is yet to improve Ecuador’s exports, which have declined by 14%, reports Expresso. Ecuador shipped 190.98 million boxes of bananas to China in 2023 vis-á-vis 188.99 million boxes in the year ending June 2024. The world’s biggest banana exporter however is downplaying the decline, citing that long-term tariff reduction analysis could improve...
The Saudi date output exceeds domestic needs at 124%
With production at 1.6 million tonnes in 2024, the Saudi date sector has surpassed domestic self-sufficiency needs by 24%. According to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, the country’s yearly production self-sufficiency margin is now at 124%. The ministry attributes the increase to governmental and affiliates’ efforts to boost palm date acreage to almost 165,000 hectares. Riyadh, the capital region situated...