The government of Zambia has announced a mechanization initiative to fund small-scale farmers amid a just declared drought emergency. On February 29, Vice President Mutale Nalumamgo launched the National Agricultural Mechanization Strategy, after which President Hakainde Hichilema declared a national disaster. The president said that farmers have lost 50% of planted crops after post-El Niño drought affected a million households. For now, however, the focus is...
Turkey nearly hits 1 million tonnes in fish production
Turkey’s live fish production in 2023 shot past the 2020 record of 837,000 tonnes, to nearly 1 million tonnes (MT). On February 28, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture quoted a harvest worth almost 1 million MT of aquaculture. The target for 2024 is 575,000 MT for aquaculture alone, which implies an even larger share of fish production. Fish...
American corn stages comeback in shortened markets
Cast adrift highly speculative grain markets, corn prices have rallied to a three-year “February” high in Chicago futures markets. The best gain was at $4.281/2 a bushel in early February 28, the highest comeback month-on-month since November 2023. This was also the best second month of the year rebound since February 2020. Analysts now expect the price floor to hit the breaking...
Dire decision on fisheries subsidies looms at WTO talks in Abu Dhabi
The 13th ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) began in Abu Dhabi on February 27 with a tough focus on non-beneficial fisheries subsidies. Though agriculture is of importance in the current locked-door session, it is fisheries that could earn the world’s trade ministers overtime. Just two months ago, the COP28 summit, also held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), went into overtime...
Co-Founder of Destination Produce recounts how “every business transaction starts with a relationship”
Destination Produce may be a young UK company with the incorporation date of November 2023, but it is already changing distribution chain rapport. Its main focus is the basic relationship between the producer and the consumer. As such, the company plays a complementary role that helps consumers and traders “connect/trade.” To discover more of this spot-on approach, Selina Wamucii contacted...
Farmers in Vietnam rush to grow spring cereals
Soon after the Lunar New Year, farmers in the Bac Ha highlands in Vietnam took the initiative to grow spring cereals, including corn and rice. Bac Ha is a district in Lao Cai province of northern Vietnam, famous for its weekend market. Here, villagers sell livestock, fresh produce, textile and cultural products to tourists. The focus now however is in ploughing fields and sowing...
U.S. crawfish shortage drives app downloads to track prices
A searing hot summer in 2023 and a freezing winter have driven U.S. crawfish shortage, with a reciprocal price gain. Consequently, price-tracking apps are back in high demand. This at a time when the lobster season, which runs from March through July each year, is just about to start. Even before the season’s start, a price-tracking app known as Crawfish App saw downloads...
A tequila or beer with lime? South African and Mexican companies reinvest to lower import costs
They may be two different products but Mexican tequila and South African beer both use a common spice, namely lime. This is why South Africa’s AB InBev, originally from Mexico, decided to grow its own limes to stem international shortage. One of the company’s key brews is Corona beer, which is served with a slice of lime. A nearly similar scenario played out...
Rice prices in Thailand down as the baht weakens
Just when neighboring Philippines is navigating a price rise, rice prices in Thailand have dipped over a weakening baht. Consequently, both export and domestic sales in Thailand in the market week ending February 23, 2024 took a dip. The country’s export prices depend on a strong performance of the baht against the dollar to gain, and its weakening lowers prices. 1 baht...
China’s ‘hometown of pineapples’ comes alive with first harvest for 2024
Xuwen, the county on the southern tip of Guangdong province in southeast China is back again with springtime pineapples. According to Yulin Evening News, the initial harvest is underway and the county has been rolling out 6 million catties (3000 tonnes) of the fruit daily. Catty is an oriental measure of fresh produce equivalent to half a kg. The above daily harvest rate underlines the...