G20 agriculture ministers on July 28, 2018 at La Rural in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (G20.org)

G20 ag ministers slam protectionism, pledge WTO reforms

Reading Time: 2 minutes Buenos Aires | Reuters — Agriculture ministers from the G20 countries criticized protectionism in a joint statement on Saturday, and vowed to reform World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, but did not detail what steps they would take to improve the food trade system. In the statement, they said they were “concerned about the increasing use […] Read more

(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Smallest ag markets biggest winners in commodities rout

Reading Time: 2 minutes New York | Reuters –– Some of the smallest niche agricultural commodities were the biggest winners this year as weather and disease raised concerns about tightening supplies, spurring a buying spree as an exodus of institutional cash punished oil, metals and grains markets. Cocoa, cotton, sugar and frozen concentrated orange juice on ICE Futures U.S. […] Read more



Olam’s cocoa purchase raises supply, price volatility concerns

Reading Time: 3 minutes New York | Reuters –– Olam’s US$1.3 billion deal to buy rival Archer Daniels Midland’s cocoa processing business may reduce liquidity in the niche cocoa bean trade, raising concerns about volatile prices and a potential shake-up of customer relationships. In the biggest deal to roil the cocoa trade in recent years, Olam scooped up a […] Read more