US President Donald Trump unveiled a new US$16 billion aid package to help farmers caught in the crossfire of his trade war with China. “The farmers have been attacked by China,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We're going to help out our farmers and we're giving them that level playing field that is so important.”
The Brazilian government increased its forecasts for what’s already expected to be a record season for soybean output and exports as farmers expand the planted area while yield prospects rise on above-average rainfall.
Soy beans in Chicago climbed to their highest having advanced 0.4% on Thursday to 650.47 dollars the ton, while corn up 0.2% to 319.47 dollars the ton came closer to its record value of last August, 327.25 dollars. Wheat meantime slid 0.2% to 324.64 dollars the ton.
Next season, 2012/13 Brazilian soybean growers could be in place to jump from the world's No. 2 producer and dispute the US first place. Brazil's 2012-13 soybean production is expected to rise 25% from this season’s drought-punished, to 83.1 million tons.
Argentina's 2011/12 soy harvest has come at an expected 39.9 million tons, but 20% lower than the previous year's crop after a Pampas dry spell dashed early-season hopes of bumper crop, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said on Thursday.
A second global food price shock is gathering steam as bad weather decimates crops in the farming giants US, Brazil, Argentina, India, Russia, the EU and Australia that feed the world, according to market analysts.