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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, January 27th 2026 - 04:43 UTC

Agriculture

  • Saturday, February 4th 2017 - 06:24 UTC

    British supermarkets rationing vegetables; adverse weather conditions in Europe

    “Due to continued weather problems in Spain there is a shortage of iceberg lettuce”, a notice in a Tesco store read.

    British supermarkets have begun rationing vegetables, as adverse weather conditions in Europe have led to a shortage of products in UK stores. On Friday Tesco said customers will be limited to buying a maximum of three iceberg lettuces per visit, adding bad weather in Spain had triggered “availability issues”, although it added suppliers were looking to resolve the issue.

  • Friday, January 13th 2017 - 12:37 UTC

    Brazil retakes wheat imports, the highest in three years

    Conab said its higher import forecast reflected unexpectedly strong wheat volumes brought in late last year, driving total purchases for calendar 2016 to 6.87m tonnes

    Brazilian officials ditched expectations of a tumble in wheat imports to a multi-year low after a surprisingly strong finish to 2016 for buy-ins, encouraged by a recovery in the real and state purchases of domestic supplies. Conab - which a month ago slashed its forecast for Brazil's wheat imports in 2016-17 [on an August-to-July basis] to 5.10m tonnes, the lowest since at least the mid-1990s – this week revised its forecast sharply upwards, to 5.95m tonnes.

  • Monday, January 9th 2017 - 10:53 UTC

    Mercosur and EU feel “2017 is a window of opportunity”, but can't find the path despite Brexit and Trump

    “Mercosur is of enormous significance for EU and we are entering a context of uncertainty with the arrival of Donald Trump to the White House”, said Jauregui

    Negotiations for an ample trade and cooperation agreement between the European Union and Mercosur are strategic, essential and must be urgently concluded, said Ramon Jauregui, head of the Euro-chamber for Latin America delegation, following on the recent accords signed by the EU with Ecuador and Cuba.

  • Wednesday, January 4th 2017 - 11:12 UTC

    Good weather prospects for Brazil's anticipated record soybean crop

    Brazil, world’s largest soybean exporter, is expected to reap a record harvest of more than 100 million tons this year, according to government and private estimates

    Rain showers forecast for this week should benefit soybean crops across Brazil and should not be heavy enough to hamper harvesting of the first shipments of the 2016-17 season, meteorologists said on Tuesday.

  • Tuesday, January 3rd 2017 - 19:57 UTC

    Argentina reinstates refunds for agriculture exports

    Wheat flour, beef, sunflower oil, rice, honey are some of the produce which are benefitted with the renewed system

    Argentina has decided to reinstate refunds for agriculture exports, responding to a promise to the provinces from president Mauricio Macri but also to prop foreign trade and boost the most dynamic sector of an anemic economy. The fiscal cost is estimated in 165 million dollars and is extensive to wheat flour, beef, sunflower oil, powder milk, cheese, honey and other produce from the provinces.

  • Friday, December 23rd 2016 - 02:06 UTC

    Argentine lemons re-entry spark protests from California citrus growers

    Most Argentina lemons are expected to be shipped to the U.S. between April 1 and August 31, according to the USDA.

    Sparking protest from California citrus leaders, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has ruled that fresh lemons from Argentina will be allowed to be imported into the U.S. The rule is the result of ten years of study on pest risks associated with Argentina lemons, according to the USDA. A proposal to allow Argentina lemon imports was published in May this year and received more than 400 comments.

  • Thursday, December 22nd 2016 - 23:22 UTC

    A good one for Brazil: excellent prospects for agribusiness in 2017

    Brazilian soybean production in 2016/17 could increase by 9.2% to 106.085 million tons, according to news reports.

    Brazil’s farm economy will rebound in 2017 with a record harvest pushing up grain exports and expanding the country’s livestock industry, according to analysts’ forecasts. An estimated record grain harvest of 213.1 million tons would be 14% larger than last year, when crops were devastated by drought, according to Brazil government estimates. The harvest will start in January.

  • Saturday, December 17th 2016 - 16:48 UTC

    Raul Castro's Cuba allows farmers to hire workers directly

    Raul Castro is dropping some hardline Communism views to improve the economy. But is he doing it fast enough?

    The Cuban government Friday allowed farmers to hire workers directly and no longer have to go to cooperatives in a step to set aside strict controls on their economy to boost production for a country which imports more than two-thirds of its food. In other areas of the economy, such as restaurants, Cuba has already allowed small business owners to hire their staff directly.

  • Thursday, December 1st 2016 - 18:14 UTC

    Brazil anticipates blockbuster 2017 harvest and exports

    Agroconsult estimates Brazil soybean production at 102.6 MT for 2016/2017, which would be in line with the 103.5 MMT estimate by Brazil’s CONAB

    Brazil is getting ready for a blockbuster 2017 harvest and booming exports, amid favorable weather forecasts, according to recent estimates. With a plentiful harvest expected, Brazil’s National Grain Association predicts grain exports will rebound, with soybean exports of 60 MT in 2017, compared with some 51 MT for 2016. Corn exports will increase to 30 MT, compared with some 18.5 MT in 2016, the association reported.

  • Wednesday, November 30th 2016 - 10:55 UTC

    Peruvian ex First Lady must face charges before taking job as FAO representative

    United Nations said Nadine Heredia would remain an FAO employee but she would not take her post until the corruption investigation concludes.

    The United Nations has postponed the promotion of former Peruvian first lady Nadine Heredia to a key post in the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, in Geneva amid a money laundering investigation. The Judicial branch of Peru ordered Heredia to return to the country within 10 days after she left for Switzerland for several days to begin her role as the FAO's Geneva director.