Agriculture

• Saturday, October 19th 2013 - 15:40 UTC

  Fire ravages Brazil’s main sugar terminal paralyzing operations and boosting prices to a year high

  

  A fire in Santos ravaged Copersucar's sugar terminal in Brazil, paralyzing operations of the world's biggest sugar trader and putting 10 million tons of export capacity offline for six months or more.

• Thursday, October 17th 2013 - 21:09 UTC

  New highway in clogged-Brazil opens more possibilities for grain exports

  

  A highway, decades in the making, will finally open in Brazil offering a shortcut through the Amazon jungle to north-eastern waterways for the growing corn and soybean trade. The BR-163 highway connecting Mato Grosso state's soy belt to two key river ports will boost grain exports by some 3 million tons next year, offering a bit of relief to congested ports in the southeast, where most shipments originate.

• Thursday, October 17th 2013 - 20:24 UTC

  Paraguay’s economy roaring ahead is estimated to expand 13.6% this year

  

  Paraguay’s central bank increased the country’s growth estimate for 2013 from 13% to 13.6%, the highest for Latinamerica. Estimates have been on the increase since October last year, 9.5%; December, 10.5%; April 13% and now, 13.6% which compares to the 0.9% contraction of 2012, when drought and Foot and Mouth Disease hit Paraguay’s main export items, soybeans and beef.

• Thursday, October 17th 2013 - 05:27 UTC

  Paraguay vetoes bill imposing 10% export tax on cereals and oilseeds

  

  Paraguayan president Horacio Cartes vetoed the bill imposing a 10% tax on export of cereals and oilseeds in their natural state recently approved by a divided Congress, arguing it was “highly distortive and regressive”. The bill now returns to the legislative.

• Friday, October 11th 2013 - 13:11 UTC

  Paraguay congress votes 10% export tax on grains and soybeans. Cartes expected to veto the bill

  

  A controversial bill imposing a 10% tax on grains and oil seeds exported in their natural state was finally approved by the Paraguayan congress. The bill presented in 2012 was passed in the Senate, rejected in the Lower House and again ratified by the Upper House, however Deputies could not round up the necessary 53 votes to again reject it.

• Monday, October 7th 2013 - 14:16 UTC

  World 2013/14 cereal production forecasted to surpass 2012 level by 8%, says FAO

  

  The outlook for global cereal supply in the 2013/14 marketing season remains generally favorable despite downward adjustments to forecasts for world cereal production and closing stocks, according to the latest issue of FAO quarterly Crop Prospects and Food Situation report.Despite this downward adjustment, world cereal production would still surpass the 2012 level by nearly 8%.

• Friday, October 4th 2013 - 06:58 UTC

  Uruguay 2012/13 soybean crop was record in volume, area and yield

  

  Uruguay’s latest soybean crop was the highest in history, 2.76 million tons with an increase in the area planted and in yields according to the latest survey from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. The area dedicated to soybean climbed 20% and reached 1.049.000 hectares.

• Friday, October 4th 2013 - 06:45 UTC

  European Union considering punitive duties on Argentine bio-diesel

  

  Argentine bio-diesel producers will fight European Union proposals to impose punitive duties on imports from the country, saying the move would remove its biggest export market and raise prices in Europe.

• Monday, September 30th 2013 - 19:31 UTC

  Chile expects to harvest over 50.000 tons of walnuts, most for export in 2013/14

  

  The walnut production in Chile has experienced a growth in the fiscal year 2013/2014, reports the German Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (AMI) on its website. Not only the favourable weather conditions, but also the extension of the cultivation area in recent years has contributed to this.

• Monday, September 30th 2013 - 16:39 UTC

  Paraguayan economy boosted by agriculture expanding at an annual 13.3%

  

  Paraguay’s GDP expanded 13.3% in the second quarter of this year boosted by agriculture and beef exports, according to the latest release from the Central bank. Agriculture has proved the most dynamic sector with 6.2% growth helping Paraguay to have the fastest growing economy this year in Latam following on a 0.9% retraction last year, because of an extended drought.