Following recent rains in US southwest, high quality alfalfa prices have remained steady while those of low quality ground pellets have plummeted. Back in January 2021, global wholesale prices for alfalfa surged through the $200/ton divide. In March the same year, a ton cost $300 in the US market. By August, 2023, a ton costs $325/ton, at least in the...
Deon Joubert: South Africa “must declare a dispute on CBS at the WTO immediately”
The citrus fruit industry is a multi-million dollar earner for South Africa. In 2022, the country shipped 1.73 million metric metric tonnes of oranges, mandarins, lemons and tangerines to the world market. Half of this went to Europe. Current projections put the production of oranges (45% of all citrus produce in the country) to be lower by 1% in 2023 than in...
South Africa citrus farmers to petition WTO over EU CBS regulation
The leading agricultural story in the past week has been the interception in Portugal of citrus fruits from South Africa, allegedly bearing the black spot disease. Affected farmers have since petitioned President Cyril Ramaphosa to look into the matter. South Africa has been having a phytosanitary tiff with its premier export destination, the European Union (EU), over Citrus Black Spot (CBS) since...
UNCTAD cites Africa could be brave new global supply chain champion
A news release by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Nairobi, published August 16, paints a rosy global supply chain picture of Africa. All pointers in the report show that Africa has what it takes to make inroads beyond the cottage industry and attract major global investments. The report cites a rise in valued-added goods from the continent...
Enter Honeybee-eating hornet in the State of Georgia
At a time when California honeybee keepers are celebrating a wide range of floral bloom as sources of nectar for their bees, in Georgia a killer hornet has emerged, confirmed August 15. The very first sighting was in early August, 2023, when a farmer in Georgia reported of seeing a yellow-legged wasp. The authorities soon confirmed it as the invasive Vespa velutina...
Cocoa Prices in West Africa down in the wake of El Nino
News that El Nino’s strength has diminished and flooding is unlikely to happen in West Africa has brought cocoa prices back to earth. The news has also sparked forward buying of cocoa for the 2023-24 season, as international companies rush in to take advantage of rallying supplies. Forward buying is a system where cocoa buyers book a crop beforehand at the reigning price...
Idaho Potatoes moving from strength to strength
The leading US potato-producing State of Idaho has a year-round potato season and the biggest harvesting season of September to October is yet to come. In 2022, Idaho led national production at 121 million cwt. CWT or hundredweight represents a unit measure of 45.4 kg in US measurement terms. The Pacific Northwest state showed dynamic staying power in the first season of...
China keen on 100% self-reliance-but for now, it’s farming in the US
As the long-awaited US Farm Bill nears its five-year review in September 2023, expatriate agriculture by the Chinese is in the spotlight. Many nations lease land in the US, with China coming behind 17 other countries. Between 2015 and 2023, land acquisition in the United States by Chinese investors has risen by a cumulative 98%. The highest rise was in the 2019-21...
One more? Southern Brazil will have a new extratropical cyclone favoring heavy rainfall in the coming days
News summary: In a short period of time is the 4º climatic event, but this time the oncoming cyclone should not bring severe impacts to its target: the South American region. The action of a weather front continues to favour the formation of loaded clouds in the South of Brazil. In addition to this system, from Wednesday (25) a new extratropical cyclone...
The United Nations releases report on World Food Security and Nutrition in 2023: Strengthen resilience and respond to the food crisis
Recently, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) jointly held the 2023 World Food Security at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The release of the report on the overall nutritional status...