Reading Time: 2 minutes Hamburg | Reuters — Germany’s government is considering proposals to phase out the use of biofuels produced from food or animal feed crops by 2030, the German biofuels industry association (VDB) said on Tuesday, adding the measure could increase carbon emissions. German environment minister Steffi Lemke said Jan. 17 she will soon send proposals to […] Read more
Germany considering withdrawal from crop-based biofuels by 2030
Lawmakers seek to boost biofuel made from wastes
Ritchie Bros. raises cash payout in bid for IAA
Activist investor Starboard Value buys into Ritchie
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Canada’s Ritchie Bros. on Monday sweetened the cash component of its buyout offer for IAA Inc. by 28 per cent, valuing the U.S. auto retailer at US$5.94 billion, and also secured the backing of a key IAA shareholder which had questioned the initial offer. The latest cash-and-stock offer at $44.40 per share, will […] Read more
Storms to bring rain to parched Argentine fields next week, grains exchange says
Drought has limited soy, corn planting
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — A storm front should bring moderate to abundant rainfall across most of Argentina’s key agricultural area over the next week, the Buenos Aires grains exchange said on Thursday, which could help farmers plant their fields after a historic drought. Lack of rainfall in Argentina, the world’s largest exporter of soybean oil and meal […] Read more
Worst drought in decades sees Argentina exchange slash soy, corn forecasts
Reading Time: 2 minutes Buenos Aires | Reuters — Argentina’s Rosario Grains exchange sharply cut its forecast for the 2022-23 soybean harvest to 37 million tonnes from a previous forecast of 49 million, it said on Wednesday, as the country faces its worst drought in 60 years. The exchange also slashed its 2022-23 corn harvest estimate to around 45 […] Read more
Mintec acquires Agribriefing to expand agrifood data offering
Reading Time: < 1 minute Paris | Reuters — British market intelligence firm Mintec announced on Tuesday the acquisition of Agribriefing in a deal it said would create a leading global provider of data on agricultural and food markets. Financial details were not disclosed. Agribriefing’s businesses include protein price-reporting agency Urner Barry and crop consultancy Strategie Grains, the latter acquired […] Read more
Activist investor reported building stake in Bayer, seeking breakup
Bayer up for 'constructive dialogue'
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Activist investor Bluebell Capital Partners has built a stake in Bayer AG and is pushing for a breakup of the German pharmaceutical and agriculture company, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing sources. U.K.-based Bluebell is also seeking an overhaul of Bayer’s corporate governance, the report added. A Bayer spokesperson, who declined to comment on […] Read more
McDonald’s reported set to exit Kazakhstan on Russia war spillover
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — McDonald’s Corp. is set to abandon Kazakhstan as disruptions triggered by the Ukraine crisis have left the nation without a substitute for Russian meat supplies, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The fast-food giant, which exited Russia in May, banned its local franchisee from procuring meat patties from Russian […] Read more
China to launch grain reserves company in 2023
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — China’s state-owned grains trader COFCO said on Thursday a new joint venture it has set up with state stockpiler Sinograin to manage the country’s huge grain reserves will officially begin operations next month. The China Enterprise United Grain Reserve Co. Ltd. was established in September, according to the COFCO statement on its public […] Read more
U.S. FDA reported weighing CBD regulation in food, supplements
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning to make recommendations on how to regulate the use of popular cannabis compound CBD in food and supplements, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing agency officials. After weighing the evidence on the compound’s safety, the FDA will decide within months how to […] Read more
China must raise self-reliance in ag tech, Xi says
Seed industry seen as weak link in food chain
Reading Time: < 1 minute Beijing | Reuters — President Xi Jinping wants China to accelerate efforts to achieve self-reliance in agricultural technology, identifying seed development and core equipment among areas to focus on, state media reported. The central leadership had said in 2020 that the country’s seed industry was a weak link in the food chain and needed to […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
