
Chilean fruit exports to China have experienced a great increase in recent years having jumped 35% in 2011 (over 2010), with a value of 438 million dollars, according to statistics provided to the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture, which place Chile as one of the main fruit providers from the southern hemisphere.

Uruguayan farmers are planning to sow 1.105.000 hectares of crops this coming 2012/13 summer season, which is similar to last year’s of which 890.000 hectares or 80% will be dedicated to soybeans.

Global wheat prices climbed on Friday as Russia’s economy minister raised the possibility of grain export curbs from one of the largest global suppliers in what appeared to be a policy u-turn.

Farmers and activists from all over the continent converged on European Union headquarters Wednesday to push for a food policy that is fairer to family farmers and kinder to the environment and developing nations.

A leading international consultant on grains and oilseeds estimates that Argentina’s soy crop could increase 38% to 56 million tons in 2013, a year when world supply will become more dependent on South America because of smaller inventories in countries such at the US and China.

US soybean futures tumbled on Monday trading posting their biggest percentage drop in nearly one year, on selling sparked by anecdotal accounts of better-than-expected yields in the Midwest farm belt.

Brazil’s harvest of cereals, legumes and oilseeds reached an estimated 164.5 million metric tons in 2012, which is 2.8% above the figure of 2011 (160.1 million metric tons) and 0.7% above the July estimate (163.3 million metric tons).

Soybean prices again climbed on Tuesday in Chicago reaching a historic record of 650.74 dollars the ton, boosted by investors’ purchases fearing limited supplies because of the worst drought in the US in the last five decades.

Argentina has filed its third trade complaint in two weeks, the World Trade Organization said on Monday, challenging US laws that it says have blocked imports of fresh lemons from north-west Argentina.

Global food prices soared by 10% in July from a month ago, with maize and soybean reaching all-time peaks due to an unprecedented summer of droughts and high temperatures in both the United States and Eastern Europe, according to the World Bank Group’s latest Food Price Watch report.