Agriculture

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 08:35 UTC

  Booming agriculture sees crop land prices in Brazil soar 18% in the past year

  

  Prices of Brazilian crop land have soared 18% in the past year, to judge by data from one of the country's biggest agricultural groups, which revealed plans to take sowings nearly to 300,000 hectares, according to Agrimoney.com.

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 07:35 UTC

  FAO warns countries against a repeat of the 2007/08 food prices crisis

  

  The world could face a food crisis of the kind seen in 2007/08 if countries restrict exports on concerns about a drought-fuelled grain price rally, the UN food agency FAO warned, after reporting a surge in global food prices in July.

• Thursday, August 9th 2012 - 06:08 UTC

  New Zealand launches program for high quality marbled beef off grass

  

  The New Zealand government announced last week it will be supporting a program to produce high-quality marbled beef off grass, by combining specific high-marbling genetics with the country’s strengths in pastoral agriculture, according to Joe Burke from the Meat Division of Bord Bia-Irish Food Board.

• Tuesday, August 7th 2012 - 17:26 UTC

  Rice supply outstrips demand despite lower 2012 production according to FAO

  

  The United Nations’ food agency cut its 2012 global rice production forecast but said supply would still outstrip demand and that there was no increased risk of a food crisis as long as countries do not resort to export bans.

• Tuesday, August 7th 2012 - 08:41 UTC

  Food inflation in Latin America reached 8.9% in June, the highest in 2012

  

  Food inflation in Latin America and the Caribbean reached 8.9% in June compared to the same month in 2011, which means the highest so far this year, according to a report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO.

• Tuesday, August 7th 2012 - 08:25 UTC

  Seeds market clash: Monsanto wins one billion dollars lawsuit to DuPont

  

  Monsanto, the world's largest seed company won a one billion dollars victory over its arch rival in a lawsuit concerning patents in the agricultural seed market. The victory, concerning genetically modified seeds that allow crops to tolerate weed killer, should have little immediate impact in that lucrative marketplace.

• Saturday, August 4th 2012 - 03:14 UTC

  Venezuela accession to Mercosur “by the back door”, according to The Economist

  

  Under the heading of “In by the back door” referred to the expansion of Mercosur, The Economist says “bringing Venezuela certainly was smart, in the sense of cunning rather than wise”, but it was done ignoring the block’s rules which call for unanimity in admitting new members.

• Tuesday, July 31st 2012 - 11:20 UTC

  Uruguay’s citrus industry hit by frosts accumulates losses of 35m dollars

  

  Uruguay estimates that the citrus industry will experience losses of 35 million dollars because of the intense frosts. The 35 million includes 12 million dollars in lost salaries and contributions to social security.

• Tuesday, July 31st 2012 - 02:05 UTC

  Uruguay expects to plant a record area of soybeans this coming season

  

  The soybean area and crop of the next harvest in Uruguay is expected to establish a new record with an additional 10% acreage, totalling over a million hectares boosted by excellent international prices and good weather prospects, according to reports from local grain and oilseed operators.

• Monday, July 30th 2012 - 23:28 UTC

  As world food-prices soar World Bank says it is ready to help countries

  

  The World Bank on Monday said it stood ready to help governments respond to a broad-based run-up in grain prices that has again put the world’s poorest people at risk and could have lingering detrimental impacts for years.