Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters — A heatwave in Western Europe is adding to stress on wheat crops after a dry end to spring and reducing what had been very high yield potential only a month ago. Record temperatures for early July at around 40 C in parts of France unnerved traders in the European Union’s top […] Read more
Baking, parched fields set to trim EU wheat harvest
Russia’s winter grains still at risk despite warm weather – analyst
Reading Time: 2 minutes * Warm November to help Russia’s winter grains – SovEcon * Says some farmers hold crops due to the falling rouble * SovEcon sees Nov. grain exports at 3.0-3.2 mln T Paris/Moscow / Reuters – Warm weather last week did not eliminate risks for Russia’s fragile winter grain plantings, said a Moscow-based agriculture consultancy SovEcon, warning […] Read more
Lilly eyes emerging markets in Novartis animal health deal
Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters — The purchase of Novartis’ animal health business will strengthen Eli Lilly’s hand in emerging markets, tapping into growing demand there for protein-rich diets and household treatments for pets, a senior executive at the U.S. group said. As part of a multi-billion dollar revamp announced earlier on Tuesday, Swiss drugmaker Novartis said […] Read more
France seeks lost wheat protein; exporter ranking at stake
Reading Time: 3 minutes The lowest level of protein in French wheat for years has drawn the government into a debate on tackling a decline in crop quality that producers and traders fear will cost the European Union’s top exporter lucrative overseas sales. Protein content is a basic measure of wheat’s suitability for making bread and a key requirement […] Read more
France clears use of frozen funds to export food to Syria
Reading Time: 2 minutes France has cleared the use of frozen Syrian bank assets to fund the export of food to the country as part of a European Union system that allows such funds to be used for humanitarian ends, a spokeswoman at the French trade ministry said. The EU, U.S. and other Western countries have imposed sanctions on […] Read more
French durum exporters scale up to meet Canadian competition
Reading Time: 2 minutes French durum wheat producers aim to expand exports through a trading joint venture in a riposte to expected stiffer competition from Canada, the world’s top exporter of the pasta ingredient, the head of the French venture said. The ending last year of the Canadian Wheat Board’s marketing monopoly in Western Canada has shaken up the […] Read more
Brazil threatens WTO action over BSE restrictions
Reading Time: 2 minutes The world’s top beef exporter, Brazil, will give countries that curbed imports of its beef after a case of BSE until March to drop the measures, or it will file a complaint at the World Trade Organization, farm ministry officials said. Five countries have implemented full or partial bans on Brazilian beef imports since confirmation […] Read more
France calls emergency G20 ag meeting for mid-October
Reading Time: 3 minutes France has called an emergency meeting of G20 farm ministers for mid-October to discuss curbing price swings on grain markets, the French president’s office said, after a year of drought and record prices renewed fears of a crisis in food supplies. France currently presides over a grains body created last year under the Group of […] Read more
World powers eye emergency food meeting; action doubted
Reading Time: 4 minutes Leading members of the Group of 20 nations are prepared to trigger an emergency meeting to address soaring grain prices caused by the worst U.S. drought in more than half a century and poor crops from the Black Sea bread basket. France, the United States and G20 president Mexico will hold a conference call at […] Read more
Commodity storm leaves food concerns intact
Reading Time: 3 minutes This week’s commodities plunge has done little to dent concerns of continuing food price inflation, as grain prices held up better than most and fundamentals for the highly weather-sensitive sector are unchanged. Grain traders have had their eyes glued to weather forecasts rather than economic data, as heavy rainfall slows planting in the U.S. Corn […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
