Agriculture

• Friday, May 21st 2010 - 01:31 UTC

  Uruguay’s rice harvest reached 1.15 million tons; good prospects for next crop

  

  Uruguay’s 2010 harvest of clean, dry rice reached 1.15 million tons with an average yield per hectare of 7.094 kilos. Total area planted was 161.900 hectares according to Uruguay’s Ministry of Agriculture Statistics Office.

• Thursday, May 20th 2010 - 21:07 UTC

  Argentine farmers furious with government’s handling of relations with China

  

  Argentine Small Farmers Association (FAA) leader Eduardo Buzzi charged against the government over China's decision of suspending all Argentine soybean oil imports which is considered by many as retaliation to some restrictions that the Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's administration imposed on Chinese products.

• Tuesday, May 18th 2010 - 04:29 UTC

  Cuba scraps bureaucracy to help farmers boost food production

  

  Cuba's private farmers will in future purchase supplies directly instead of having them allocated by the state, the government said on Sunday, in the latest concession to demands for more autonomy.

• Monday, May 17th 2010 - 05:26 UTC

  EU farmers led by France promise to lobby against concessions for Mercosur

  

  European Union Agriculture ministers will be debating Monday on the impact of Mercosur/EU trade negotiations and the overall EU farm sector competitiveness.

• Thursday, May 13th 2010 - 10:47 UTC

  US Corn Futures Rise to Two-Month High on Mounting Demand from China

  

  Corn futures rose to a two-month high on mounting demand from China, the world’s second-biggest consumer.

• Wednesday, May 12th 2010 - 07:03 UTC

  Paraguay Forecasts Record Exports of Meat in 2010

  

  Paraguayan meat sales increased 47% in value during the first four months of 2010 compared to the same period a year ago, totalling 295 million US dollars (USD), according to the country’s Food Quality and Animal Health Service, Senacasa.

• Tuesday, May 11th 2010 - 21:52 UTC

  Brazilian Rice Farmers Lobbying for Higher Mercosur Common External Tariff

  

  Mercosur rice planters will be meeting to decide a Brazilian proposal to increase the common external tariff thus preventing the introduction of rice from third countries, precisely this year when Brazil’s crop is expected to be below average.

• Tuesday, May 11th 2010 - 16:29 UTC

  EU “Grumpy” Seven Led by France Against Trade Talks with Mercosur

  

  France and six other countries expressed concern before the European Union about the competition consequences for the farm sector in the event of an agreement with Mercosur.

• Saturday, May 8th 2010 - 06:22 UTC

  Brazilian Farmers Prospect for Phosphates to Cap Fertilizer Suppliers’ Dependence

  

  Farmers in Brazil have teamed up to drill an area the size of New York for phosphate-based fertilizers, seeking to cut dependency on producers including Vale S.A. (NYSE:VALE) and Mosaic Co. (NYSE:MOS) after prices surged.

• Saturday, May 8th 2010 - 06:01 UTC

  Cuban Sugar Crop Worst in a Century; Brazilian Investors Could Take over Industry

  

  The current sugar harvest is Cuba’s worst since 1905, according to Communist Party daily Granma. The news comes two days after President Raúl Castro fired the minister responsible for the area amid increasing rumours that foreign investors will be invited to take over the industry.