Cuban President Raul Castro announced the redistribution of government land that is not in use to private farmers to stimulate food production and efficient farming. Cuba in spite of abundant farm land must import half of its food.
The Argentine government will claim 1.76 billion US dollars from grain exporters who had registered overseas sales of cereals and oilseeds which they did not hold at the moment in silos or purchase orders, according to the Buenos Aires press.
The first day of ministerial negotiations on global trade at this week's meeting in Geneva of the Trade Negotiations Committee harvested conflicting opinions about prospects for an agreement.
With more than 400.000 tourists passing through Chile's ports in 2007 and an expected 12% growth this year, there is no doubt that cruise trips are gaining popularity in South America. Chile, along with Brazil and Argentina (the ABC triangle) is one of the leading providers of cruises through the southern tip of South America.
The Argentine government decision to repeal the controversial grains and oilseeds sliding export tax system, --which triggered a four month conflict with farmers-- will cost the Treasury an estimated 1.25 to1.5 billion US dollars according to economic experts quoted in the Buenos Aires media.