
One of the four rural organizations that for several years clashed with the Argentine government over export taxes considers the conflict “to be over” and said that President Cristina Fernandez “remains committed to helping the farming sector”.

Spain’s Abengoa has announced that it will construct a bio-ethanol plant in the department of Paysandu, Uruguay, for Alcoholes de Uruguay, or ALUR. The contract, which includes the construction of an adjoining power cogeneration plant, is worth 120 million dollars.

President Juan Manuel Santos praised US Congress ratification of a long-stalled free trade agreement with the United States and said it was a historic day for Colombian business and workers.

The United States Congress voted Wednesday on a bipartisan basis to pass long delayed free-trade bills with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.

Uruguayan president Jose Mujica left on Tuesday for a ten day visit to Europe that will take him to Sweden, Norway, Germany and Belgium, where he is expected to promote trade, investments and economic development.

The jawbone of an ancient whale found in Antarctica may be the oldest fully aquatic whale yet discovered, Argentine scientists said Tuesday. The discovery took place close to the Argentine Antarctic base of Marambio next to the Weddell Sea.

Food price volatility featuring high prices is likely to continue and possibly increase, making poor farmers, consumers and countries more vulnerable to poverty and food insecurity, the United Nations' three Rome-based agencies said in the global hunger report published Monday.

Despite improved production prospects, world cereal markets are likely to remain fairly tight in 2011/2012, FAO announced this week. Prices on the other hand will tend to decline as a result of softer demand because of worsening economic conditions.

Representatives from the Falkland Islands Agriculture Department and private sector visited Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile to establish closer commercial, technical and academic links related to farming development.

The head of Business-Europe International Relations said Wednesday that a free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur “would not destroy European agriculture” in spite of fears from farmers.