Reading Time: 3 minutes Syrian farmers hoped for some reprieve after Islamist rebels ended Assad' 24 years of autocratic rule in December, but a devastating drought and continued water theft mean their crops are still dying, their pears and plums withering on the branch.
Barren fields, dry wells: after war, drought ravages Syrian farms
Digging wells adds costs as harvests fail; many farmers have heavy debts, want assistance
Ukraine to set up mechanism to supply food to Syria, Zelenskiy says
Leader of Russia's Chechnya says he is ready to ensure wheat supplies to Syria if necessary
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday he had instructed his government to set up supply mechanisms to deliver together with international organizations and partners food to Syria in the aftermath of the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.
Russian grain exports to Syria suspended due to uncertainty
Reading Time: 3 minutes Russian wheat supplies to Syria have been suspended because of uncertainty about the new government and payment delays, Russian and Syrian sources said on Friday, while two vessels carrying Russian wheat for Syria did not reach their destinations.
Ukraine asks Lebanon to bar Syrian ship carrying ‘stolen’ corn
Corn taken from multiple storage units, Ukraine alleges
Reading Time: 2 minutes Beirut | Reuters — Ukrainian officials on Thursday asked Lebanon to bar a Syrian state-owned cargo ship carrying allegedly stolen Ukrainian grain from docking in Lebanon’s Tripoli port, according to the Ukrainian embassy and a diplomatic note seen by Reuters. The Ukrainian mission said in comments to Reuters that the Finikia was transporting 6,000 metric […] Read more
Russia, U.S. bicker at UN over donating fertilizer to Syria
U.S. calls for Russia to distribute via UN
Reading Time: 2 minutes United Nations | Reuters — Russia and the United States bickered on Tuesday over whether Russian fertilizer could be donated to Syria as Moscow heightens complaints about obstacles to its fertilizer shipments before the renewal of a deal allowing Ukraine Black Sea grain exports. Some 260,000 tonnes of Russian fertilizer has been stuck in several […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Earthquake to have little effect on pulse markets
Such disasters don't often blow back on agrifood commodity costs
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — The earthquake that devastated parts of Turkey and Syria on Monday last week, taking the lives of more than 40,000 people, may not have a major effect on pulse markets, according to one analyst. Jon Driedger from Leftfield Commodity Research in Winnipeg said that while natural disasters like an earthquake can take on […] Read more
Ukraine envoy says Turkey among destinations of grain stolen by Russia
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ankara | Reuters — Kyiv’s ambassador to Ankara said on Friday Turkish buyers were among those receiving grain that Russia stole from Ukraine, adding he has sought Turkey’s help to identify and capture individuals responsible for the shipments. Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of global wheat supplies, while Russia also heavily exports […] Read more
Great rural neighbours
When rural communities offered to host Syrian families, many Canadians held their breaths. Should we send refugees into farm country? Actually, it’s been a major success
Reading Time: 5 minutes Rural people pride themselves on being good neighbours. Whether it’s a barn fire or equipment breakdown, or if a neighbour is seriously ill, they’re quick to offer help. So it’s not so surprising, at least to rural Canadians, that when researcher Stacey Haugen spoke to Syrian refugees who had settled in Canada’s rural areas, they […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat futures plunge on sluggish exports
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade grain and soybean futures all soured on Tuesday as U.S. wheat sellers failed to nab any export sales and traders waited impatiently for news on the latest of talks on the U.S.-China trade war. Wheat was the story of the day: Most CBOT wheat futures contracts — […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans rebound from 10-year low
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose roughly two per cent on Wednesday, rebounding a day after the most active contract fell to a 10-year low as the harvest of a likely record-large U.S. crop got under way, analysts said. U.S. wheat futures climbed on technical buying and tightening global supplies, while corn futures […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
