Agriculture

• Tuesday, April 6th 2010 - 02:45 UTC

  Argentina protests Chinese sanitary restrictions on soy-oil imports

  

  Argentina formally protested on Monday a possible move by China to block imports of Argentine soybean oil in a trade row that threatens a key export of the country and last year involved almost 1.5 billion US dollars.

• Wednesday, March 31st 2010 - 02:21 UTC

  NZ dairy company in Uruguay sells land to pay debts, but plans to remain

  

  New Zealand Farming Systems Uruguay, listed in the NZ stock exchange, has sold 2,500 hectares of land on its Tobay farm in eastern Uruguay for 8.5 million US dollars in a move that will allow it to repay nearly half an outstanding debt to shareholder PGG Wrightson.

• Wednesday, March 31st 2010 - 02:10 UTC

  Argentina expects a 2009/2010 crop of 91 million tons, up 48%

  

  Argentina’s 2009/2010 crop is estimated in 91 million tons, 48% higher than the previous mainly because of improved yields thanks basically to more regular rainfall, courtesy of the El Niño climate phenomenon.

• Tuesday, March 30th 2010 - 23:00 UTC

  Quake impact leaves Chilean farmers short of storage, cooling and irrigation

  

  Chile’s annual fall harvest season continues apace, notwithstanding earthquake damage to Chile's roads, irrigation systems, electric grid, packing houses, and other infrastructure.

• Friday, March 26th 2010 - 21:34 UTC

  Quake destroyed ports limit Chilean grape industry exports

  

  Chile’s fresh fruit business has been whip-lashed the past weeks by the 8.8 earthquake which struck February 27, at the height of the fresh fruit export season. Large shipments of table grapes - roughly four million cases - and other fruit had to be stored while authorities worked over time to get port facilities operating again.

• Tuesday, March 23rd 2010 - 22:10 UTC

  Uruguay on the world’s viticulture map with its distinctive Tannat wines

  

  Argentina has its Malbec; Chile has its Carmenere and now Uruguay, not to be out-classed by its more famous wine-producing neighbours, is taking the world of viticulture by storm, with its distinctive Tannat wines.

• Tuesday, March 23rd 2010 - 03:03 UTC

  Cuban farmers pushing for greater autonomy to produce and sell crops

  

  Cuban farmers are pressing for greater autonomy to produce and sell their crops, blaming government inefficiency for Cuba’s falling food output despite agricultural reforms introduced by President Raúl Castro.

• Wednesday, March 17th 2010 - 00:43 UTC

  Uruguay enjoys record crops but 2010 prospects not so clear

  

  Uruguay expects for this year a record export of grains and oilseeds, however prospects for the rest of the year are not too clear given abundant crops worldwide which will have an impact on prices.

• Wednesday, March 10th 2010 - 05:46 UTC

  Brazil expects second best crop this year with 145.1 million tons

  

  Brazil will harvest a grain crop of 145.1 million tons this year, a volume very close to the record 145.8 million tons of 2008, said the government’s statistics office, IBGE on the basis of February field data.

• Tuesday, March 9th 2010 - 07:32 UTC

  Brazil/US WTO cotton retaliatory dispute takes off

  

  Brazil announced Monday it would levy a total of 591 million US dollars in retaliatory tariffs on US goods under a ruling against US cotton subsidies granted by a World Trade Organization last year. However Brazil also sent a conciliatory message.