Wisconsin ended its 2025 ginseng harvest on November 1, kickstarting a marketing campaign lasting till March 31, 2026. Some sellers are however keeping their reserves for now, waiting until tariff headwinds can weaken. The season’s start found Presidents Donald Trump of the United States and Xi Jinping of China resolving soybean issues, sidelining ginseng. In 2024, China brought ginseng worth...
The New England lobster population waning: overfishing?
Declining lobster population in New England has prompted the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) on October 30, 2025 to declare it overfished. A regulatory statement by the ASMFC touted that though not depleted, the population is down by 34% since 2018. Fisheries experiencing the most plunges include those near Massachusetts and Maine, the last being America’s top lobster state...
U.S.’ soy markets brighten after China books 12 million tonnes
China finally capitulated by promising to buy 12 million tonnes of soy from the United States, rallying hitherto flailing commodity markets. The announcement by the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on October 30, 2025 followed a meeting between Presidents Xi and Trump in South Korea. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins added China will purchase 12 million tonnes of soy this season and...
Catfish stocking in Texas culminates, ending 6-month season
A catfish stocking drive that began in April 11, 2025 throughout Texas signs off end October, in the San Angelo area. According to the Concho Valley Homepage, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Neighborhood Fishing Program (TPWD) was readying to stock a final 600 catfish. The Concho River will receive fish measuring 9 inches apiece, after which the river will welcome the...
Onion and tomato inflation turns Pakistan’s staples into hard bargains
Days after consumers in Pakistan paid thrice normal tomato rates, they are now reckoning with onion inflation that has doubled retail prices. Tomato prices did however finally plummet from 600-700 rupees ($2.11-2.46) a kg to 200 rupees ($0.7), only for onions to take over. Various provinces from Punjab to Sindh recorded bulb retail rate increases from 110 rupees ($0.39)/kg to...
Sugarcane farmers in Karnataka make price exodus to Maharashtra
Sugarcane farmers from northern Karnataka in southwest India are seeking price advantage by selling their cane to mills in neighboring Maharashtra. Maharashtra is offering as high as 3,500 rupees ($39.66) per tonne of cane including transportation costs, drawing cross-state farmers. Even so, growers are readying to protest on October 30, 2025 at Belgavi to agitate for similar rates as Maharashtra’s,...
BANA: “we intend to remind consumers why they love bananas”
A new not-for-profit banana trade body, the Banana Association of North America (BANA), intends to create awareness for this cheapest healthy fruit. Due to affordability, the humble peeled fruit sates the appetites of millions of North Americans each year. The United States tops consumption volumes worldwide at 3.722 million tonnes (2022) while Canada utilizes 0.518 million tonnes a year. But do consumers...
Tokyo’s island substitutes declining lobster for sturgeon caviar aquaculture
Kozushima hamlet on Izu Islands near Tokyo has embraced sturgeon aquaculture for caviar production after spiny lobster landings dropped to a handful. In 1986 when commercial caviar farming was in its infancy in Japan, Kozushima was producing 23,000 kg of spiny lobster. But by 2023, the catch had slashed by 98%, to 400 kg due to climate change. Hence, the...
After lapse, corn production in Senegal back in the picture
Senegal expects a 2025-26 rebound in corn production following a 2024 output decline, cited the Interprofessional Maïs (IMAIS) on October 25, 2025. The gains owe to uptick acreage in the leading regions of Kaolack, Kédougou and Kolda, where the IMAIS “expect(s) good yields.” Although the agency did not specify production or acreage increases, it nevertheless signalled a bumper year ahead...
Hass avocados from Peru secure maiden access into the Philippines
The Philippines has signed a working plan with Peru to officially import Hass avocados from the South American country for the first time. In a statement on October 25, 2025, the Philippines’ Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) championed the exchange with Peru’s agricultural health department. The BPI said that the working framework will first target the meeting of phytosanitary stipulations to insure...