The Philippines’ Commission on Elections (Comelec) has suspended the 20-peso 1-kg rice program till after the May 12 elections. According to a May 1, 2025 statement by George Eric Garcia, head of Comelec, the halt aims to prevent polarization. By local law mandate, activities that seem related to electioneering ought to stop ten days before the upcoming midterm vote. The Department of...
Cocoa from Peru baits the EU market with 250% growth, y-o-y
Peru has earned $63 million in January and February 2025 from cocoa bean exports to the European Union (EU)’s market, reflecting phenomenal growth. According to food analyst Jorge Niño de Guzmán on Agraria, this rise by 250% year-on-year (y-o-y) owes to strong international prices. Guzmán adds that all agri-food sectors had by February 2025 earned over $2.233 billion or 6.7% growth,...
Livestock products of Afghanistan enter Kabul’s agricultural showcase
The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of Afghanistan on May 1, 2025 launched a horticultural and livestock products exhibition in Kabul. The four-day showpiece has based its motto on how agriculture and livestock guarantees health and economic growth. On display across 263 stalls are local saffron, livestock merchandise, medicinal herbs, irrigated crops, spices, dairy, and women’s handicrafts. Women’s Leather Handicrafts The Badam...
Rock crab fisheries in California end decade-long closure
A decade later, rock crab pots will finally grace fisheries in northern California. This is after the Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) temporarily opened the shores it closed in 2015. According to the CDFW on April 24, 2025, the fisheries resume from the California/Oregon border to the northern jetty of Humboldt Bay. Fisheries will therefore extend from the northern state...
Coconut milk dealers in Malaysia pass on soaring costs to consumers
A six-month supply pressure of coconut in Malaysia is forcing coconut milk dealers to conscientiously pass on the cost. A short-lived go at imports in February 2025 has not helped either in dealing a killing blow to the hiking prices. According to the Malay Mail, santan or coconut milk was costing 19 ringitt ($4.40) a kg in late April 2025, up from 11 ringitt ($2.55)....
Shrimp and Brussels sprouts grace a pricey Kentucky Derby
May 3, 2025 marks the exhilarating 2-minute Kentucky Derby gallop, with mint, shrimp and Brussels sprouts gracing the race’s usually pricey menu. Food has been the heart and soul behind this grand race of the American South since its 1875 kick-off. The yearly meet excels with a julep mint cocktail, whose ingredients include water, mint leaves, ice and premium rum. According...
Fresh apple prices in Poland stable late April 2025
Fresh produce markets in Krakow and Warsaw, Poland, showed stability in apple prices in the week ending April 29, 2025. Retail offers among Krakow’s grocers were at least 3.77 euro ($4.29) a kg, with a maximum 4.19 euro ($4.77). The 15 varieties available in Poland’s wholesale markets stabilised week-on-week at 0.54-0.63 euro ($0.61-0.72) a kg. Golden Delicious and Gala started from...
Beet sugar turns bearish with prices in Europe at break even
Beet and sugar pricing in Europe have both turned bearish, forcing farmers to reduce the cultivated area. Prices for raw beets were down by 35% year-on-year in Europe by February 2025, to 541 euro ($617) a tonne. This downturn has France’s sugar processor Tereos estimating that farmers in Europe will cut their 2025 planting area by 9%. Could this decline help...
Spring lobster season in P.E.I starts amid fisheries’ dredging
The Prince Edward Island or P.E.I. in Atlantic Canada began its lobster spring season on April 25, amid selective harbor dredging. Although 2025 prospects are high, the possible effect of tariffs on landing prices beclouds the sector. Early Opening Fisheries this year also open earlier than in 2024 when windy conditions had delayed the season to May 3. For 2025, northern and southeastern shores including...
TZ ends agricultural embargo on two SADC members
A retaliatory ban on agricultural imports from two South African Development Community (SADC)’s members by TZ has ended amicably. The lifting of the temporary embargo came just two days after Tanzania’s Minister of Agriculture Hussein Bashe had halted agricultural imports. A statement by the Plant Health and Pesticide Authority of Tanzania (TPHPA) on late April 26, 2025 cited diplomacy for the...