Reading Time: 2 minutes An emerging group of farmers and growers in Chile, known as seed guardians, aim to protect the traditional crops of their ancestors, keeping them safe from industrial agriculture and genetic modification.
Chile’s ‘seed guardians’ grow and protect forgotten food varieties
Russia bans sunflower, corn seeds imports from four countries
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Russian agricultural watchdog has banned imports of sunflower and corn seeds from companies in Chile, France, Hungary, and Turkey, it said on Thursday, in line with Moscow's policy to reduce dependency on seed imports.
Pulse weekly outlook: Yellow pea demand continues to rise
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — This St. Patrick’s Day, it’s not easy being green if you’re a pea. Having reached price parity less than two months ago, Canadian yellow peas are now trading at a premium. According to Prairie Ag Hotwire data from Wednesday, high-delivered bids for yellow peas are now priced at $11.25 per bushel, $4.16 (59 […] Read more
U.S. trade body rules blueberry imports do not harm industry
Canada among top five nations selling blueberries into U.S.
Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington/Mexico City | Reuters — The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled on Thursday that blueberry imports are not causing serious injury to domestic producers and will not recommend further action to reduce foreign supplies, in a win for berry exporters. In recent years, U.S. producers have claimed damages from what they argue are unfair […] Read more
How a Chilean raspberry scam dodged food safety controls from China to Canada
Insight: $12 million worth of falsely labeled frozen fruit evaded authorities
Reading Time: 8 minutes Santiago | Reuters – In January 2017, Chilean Customs inspectors acted on a tip from a whistleblower: The country’s prized crop of raspberries was under threat. Inspectors raided the offices of Frutti di Bosco, a little-known fruit trading company on the second floor of a tower block in downtown Santiago. The files, company data and […] Read more
Chinese firm buys stake in miner SQM from Nutrien
Reading Time: 2 minutes Santiago | Reuters — China’s Tianqi Lithium Corp. has bought a 23.77 per cent share in Chilean miner SQM from Canadian fertilizer giant Nutrien, the Chilean stock exchange said on Monday, for a total sale price of US$4.066 billion. The sale to Tianqi comes as Chinese companies increasingly scour the globe for the raw materials […] Read more
Walmart’s LatAm delivery app Cornershop eyes Canada
Reading Time: 2 minutes Mexico City | Reuters — Cornershop, a Latin American grocery delivery app being acquired by Walmart, plans to expand into Canada early next year as a test market for the U.S., an executive for the three-year-old mobile app said. Walmart is buying Cornershop, which offers deliveries in Mexico and Chile, for US$225 million. The deal, […] Read more
Asia-Pacific nations sign sweeping trade deal without U.S.
Reading Time: 4 minutes Santiago | Reuters — Eleven countries including Canada and Japan signed a landmark Asia-Pacific trade agreement without the U.S. on Thursday in what one minister called a powerful signal against protectionism and trade wars. The deal came as U.S. President Donald Trump vowed earlier in the day to press ahead with a plan to impose […] Read more
Canada in on TPP pact, to be signed in March
Reading Time: 3 minutes Tokyo | Reuters — Eleven countries aiming to forge a Asia-Pacific trade pact after the U.S. pulled out of an earlier version will sign an agreement in Chile in March, Japan’s economy minister said on Tuesday. Trade officials had been meeting in Tokyo to resolve rifts including Canada’s insistence on protections for its cultural industries […] Read more
Pacific trade bloc adds ‘associate’ members, including Canada
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cali, Colombia | Reuters –– Four new countries will be admitted to the Pacific Alliance as associate members, the trade group said on Thursday, as it seeks to expand commerce with the Asia-Pacific region while the U.S. pushes for protectionist measures. The alliance, which comprises Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru, will on Friday admit Singapore, […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
