MercoPress https://en.mercopress.com/ South Atlantic News Agency en Copyright 2026, MercoPress. https://en.mercopress.com/web/img/en/mercopress-logo.gif MercoPress http://en.mercopress.com/ <![CDATA[Strait of Hormuz closure, FAO warns of fertilizer scarcity and calendar for new planting season]]> FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said. “This is not only a geopolitical crisis, but also a disruption at the core of the global agri-food system.” The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, warned that the global fertilizer scarcity caused by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz will lead to lower yields and tightening food supplies in the latter half of 2026 and into 2027.

]]> Tue, 12 May 2026 14:14:00 GMT <![CDATA[Falklands, financial advance for FIMCO and calcified kelp license to improve soil for cattle forage]]> Falklands Sand Bay abattoir, the processing plant for cattle and sheep, certified by the European Union and UK On 20th April the Falkland Islands’ Executive Council considered a closed paper from FIMCO, Falkland Islands Meat Company, requesting a cash advance, to be repaid by June 2027. The request is to support cash-flow challenges resulting from the recent shipping delays.

]]> Thu, 07 May 2026 08:43:00 GMT <![CDATA[FAO and WMO warn extreme heat pushes global agriculture 'to the limit,' threatening one billion people]]> The effects on production systems are pervasive. Livestock suffer digestive and cardiovascular failures, with a significant reduction in milk output and protein content The escalation of extreme heat episodes is pushing agriculture “to the limit” worldwide and threatening the health and livelihoods of more than one billion people, according to a joint report published on Wednesday by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The document, titled “Extreme Heat and Agriculture,” warns that the phenomenon causes the annual loss of 500 billion working hours in the sector.

]]> Fri, 24 Apr 2026 19:39:00 GMT <![CDATA[Brazil coffee exports fall 21% in Q1 despite record crop forecast]]> March figures continued the downward trend: shipments declined 8% year-on-year to three million bags and revenues dropped 15.1%, to US$1.125 billion Brazil, the world's largest coffee producer and exporter, shipped 8.4 million 60-kilogram bags between January and March 2026, a volume 21.2% below the same period in 2025, the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafé) reported on Monday. Export revenues also fell 13.6%, to US$3.371 billion.

]]> Tue, 14 Apr 2026 01:34:00 GMT <![CDATA[Falklands, Plant Heritage seeds to turn the Islands into a Cosmos garden]]> Speaking before the seeds departed Sheppard said “Cosmos are really an accessible plant. People can have a garden full of color from just a packet of seeds.” Falkland Islands gardeners will be receiving cosmos seeds from Jonathan Sheppard, known as “King Cosmos,” who holds National Plant Collections for both hollyhocks and cosmos, and grows all his plants without the use of pesticides.

]]> Mon, 13 Apr 2026 05:28:00 GMT <![CDATA[FAO food commodities prices up in March; concern with energy and fertilizer costs]]> FAO Chief Economist Torero said “if the conflict stretches beyond 40 days farmers will have to choose: farm the same with fewer inputs, plant less, or switch to less intensive fertilizer crops”. World food commodity prices rose in March for the second month in a row, due largely to higher energy prices linked to the conflict escalation in the Near East, according to the latest benchmark measure released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 07:13:00 GMT <![CDATA[Latin America faces fertilizer vulnerability; IICA and TFI agree joint plan amid Hormuz crisis]]> Global fertilizer supply chain faces simultaneous pressures: Chinese restrictions on phosphate exports, US tariffs that reduced nutrient imports, and the disruption of transit through Hormuz The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the U.S.-based Fertilizer Institute (TFI) announced a partnership to secure fertilizer supply across the Americas, amid logistical disruptions and price volatility worsened by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the war between the United States, Israel and Iran.

]]> Thu, 09 Apr 2026 01:13:00 GMT <![CDATA[Mercosur, climate and immigration: the hoaxes targeting rural Europe]]> Russia is cited as one of the identified sources, though not the only one, and the motivations remain difficult to pinpoint.<br /> <br /> The European Commission and fact-checking experts have identified a growing wave of disinformation targeting rural areas and the agri-food sector across the continent, with campaigns exploiting the controversy surrounding the EU-Mercosur trade deal, climate skepticism and anti-immigration sentiment.

]]> Sat, 04 Apr 2026 11:30:00 GMT <![CDATA[Falklands celebrate success of Shearers and Wool-handlers Team at world Golden Shears competition in New Zealand]]> The Falklands Team has been receiving congratulations for its representation Congratulations have been pouring on the Falkland Islands Team at the recent 2026 World Shearing and Wool-handling Championships, Golden Shears, at Masterton, New Zealand, following the outstanding results obtained at the competition by Adam, Evan, Talia, Pilar and Richard.

]]> Wed, 18 Mar 2026 23:04:00 GMT <![CDATA[Dynamic market for RWS certified Merino wool in Uruguay]]> Merino wool sales (less than 16.5 microns) have been registered at US$ 11 a kilo with deals of US$ 10 a kilo for 17.5 microns wool. The Uruguayan wool market has become particularly dynamic during this 2025/26 season, reflecting events in Australia where prices for clean fine wool have soared above US$ 12 per kilo, for the first time in six and a half years, very close to the maximums from 2019.

]]> Tue, 17 Feb 2026 03:15:00 GMT