Reading Time: < 1 minute Rome | Reuters — In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Italian firms can source durum wheat from Canada, the Italian industry ministry said in a statement following meetings on Wednesday with various firms and associations. The statement added that alternative suppliers for clay, iron and sunflower seeds had not yet been found. Ukraine […] Read more
Italian ministry tells firms to source durum from Canada
Swine fever found in wild boar in Italy
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — African swine fever, a deadly hog disease, has been found in a wild boar in Italy’s Piedmont region, the regional government said in a statement on Friday. Tests confirmed the disease in a dead boar in Ovada, located about 120 km southwest of Milan in northern Italy, the statement said. African swine fever […] Read more
Italy vetoes sale of seed producer to Chinese-owned Syngenta
Reading Time: 2 minutes Rome | Reuters – Italy has prevented Chinese-owned group Syngenta from buying vegetable seed producer Verisem, government officials said, underscoring Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s commitment to shield key assets from unwanted foreign bids. The decision, made at a cabinet meeting on Oct. 19 but not yet made public, marks the first time Italy has vetoed […] Read more
Poor Chinese demand a setback for grain exports
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Canadian grain exports from licensed facilities are running well behind the previous year’s pace, due primarily to a sharp reduction in movement to China, according to latest monthly data from the Canadian Grain Commission. Total exports at Dec. 31 of grain, oilseed and pulse crops for the 2019-20 crop year to date came […] Read more
Late North American durum faces quality downgrades
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Cool and wet conditions delaying harvest operations across North America’s durum-growing regions are cutting into the quality of the crop in both the U.S. and Canada, with widening price spreads likely going forward. “It’s been a challenging harvest,” said Erica Olson, marketing specialist with the North Dakota Wheat Commission. “We did have some […] Read more
Barilla to buy second-largest Italian pasta plant
Reading Time: < 1 minute Milan | Reuters — Food group Barilla said on Wednesday it had presented an offer to buy the second-largest pasta plant in Italy from domestic rival Pasta Zara to boost its production capacity. Family-owned Pasta Zara has started court proceedings to get creditor protection after its debt spiralled out of control. The factory, which is […] Read more
Durum markets rattled as harvest set to start
Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada — With the durum wheat harvest rapidly approaching in Western Canada, many analysts wonder how the dry conditions and extreme heat will affect yields. Yet there is one aspect about this year’s crop they already know. Increased seeded acreage this spring, and market access problems hindering longer-term durum sales, mean farmers might want […] Read more
Italy in no rush to reject EU-Canada trade deal
Reading Time: 2 minutes Brussels | Reuters — Italy is in no hurry to bring the European Union’s free trade agreement with Canada to a parliamentary vote, its farm minister said on Monday, suggesting its opposition to the deal may be easing. Ministers of the eurosceptic 5-Star/League government have said Italy would not ratify CETA (the Comprehensive Economic and […] Read more
Italy says it won’t ratify EU-Canada trade deal
Reading Time: 3 minutes Rome | Reuters — Italy will not ratify the European Union’s free trade agreement with Canada, Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Friday, although Canadian officials played down the threat to the accord, which mostly took effect last year. “Soon CETA (the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) will arrive in parliament and this […] Read more
Italy won’t ratify EU trade deal with Canada, farm minister says
Reading Time: 3 minutes Milan | Reuters — Italy will not ratify the European Union’s free trade agreement with Canada, its new agriculture minister said on Thursday, ratcheting up an international trade spat and potentially scuppering the EU’s biggest accord in years. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is the first major trade deal the European Union has […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
