The US Supreme Court will decide whether American corporations can be sued for alleged human rights abuses occurring abroad under a 1789 law, agreeing to hear appeals by two companies: Cargill Inc and a Nestle SA subsidiary: accused of knowingly helping perpetuate slavery at Ivory Coast cocoa farms.
Insults by Brazilian government officials aimed at China, the country’s main trading partner, are detrimental to Brazil’s business interests and “not even very smart,” the chief executive of Cargill’s local operations said this week.
If trade strife continues between the United States and Mexico despite a deal struck on Friday, Argentine grain exporters are ready to step in to meet Mexican food demand, the head of an Argentine industry chamber said.
A highway, decades in the making, will finally open in Brazil offering a shortcut through the Amazon jungle to north-eastern waterways for the growing corn and soybean trade. The BR-163 highway connecting Mato Grosso state's soy belt to two key river ports will boost grain exports by some 3 million tons next year, offering a bit of relief to congested ports in the southeast, where most shipments originate.
The export price of Argentine soy-oil has plummeted 21% so far this year, due to new European bio-diesel tariffs and China’s change of policy, putting one of the country's key industries at risk. Argentina is the world's top exporter of soy-oil, which is used to make bio-diesel.