(Reuters) — Goldman Sachs said the oil market could see a record surplus of about six million barrels per day by April, considering a bigger- than-expected surge in low-cost output, while a slump in demand was “increasingly broad” triggered by the coronavirus outbreak. Oil prices plummeted after top producer Saudi Arabia slashed its selling prices […] Read more
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Virus-spooked Russians hoard buckwheat
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russians spooked by the coronavirus epidemic have started hoarding a trusty national staple that has helped them get through multiple crises in their troubled history: buckwheat. Cheap, filling and beloved by Russians as a side dish or as a meal in itself, buckwheat — “grechka” in Russian — was sold out in […] Read more
UPDATED: Possible COVID-19 exposure cited for partial packing plant closure
UPDATED – March 28, 2020 – 1045 CST – OTTAWA/WINNIPEG, Manitoba, March 27 (Reuters) – Harmony Beef, an Alberta packing plant, halted cattle slaughter on Friday after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) kept some inspectors from work, due to a positive test for COVID-19 by a Harmony worker, the company said. The partial closure […] Read more
North America farm suppliers race COVID-19 spread for planting season
WINNIPEG, Manitoba/CHICAGO (Reuters) – North America’s biggest farm suppliers are accelerating shipments of fertilizer, seeds and agricultural chemicals to crop-growing regions in an unprecedented race against the COVID-19 virus that threatens to disrupt planting season. The timing could not be worse for farmers preparing to plant crops. Disruptions in deliveries of fertilizer, seeds or chemicals […] Read more
U.S. COVID-19 stimulus bill adds billions in support for farmers
CHICAGO (Reuters) – The U.S. COVID-19 stimulus bill that U.S. senators will vote on would add $14 billion to the Agriculture Department’s Commodity Credit Corp spending authority, and authorize another $9.5 billion for U.S. farmers hurt by the fast-spreading pandemic, according to a copy of the bill’s text. The $2 trillion bipartisan legislation, set for […] Read more
China’s January-February soybean imports from U.S. rise as truce takes effect
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s soybean imports from the United States in the first two months of the year rose sixfold from the same period last year, customs data showed on Wednesday, as cargoes booked during a trade truce between the countries arrived. China, the world’s top importer of the oilseed, brought in 6.101 million tonnes […] Read more
USDA, USTR cite progress on farm provisions of U.S.-China trade deal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and China have made progress in implementing the agriculture-related provisions of a Phase 1 trade deal that took effect on Feb. 14, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Trade Representative said on Tuesday. In a joint statement, they listed a number of steps taken that should help boost […] Read more
North American millers, bakers scramble to satisfy bread-buying binge
CHICAGO/WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) – North American flour mills and bakeries are rushing to boost production as the spread of the new coronavirus leads to stockpiling of staples like bread and pasta. The virus’ spread prompted orders to stay at home in some U.S. states, including New York, California and Illinois last week following similar measures […] Read more
Canada’s stretched hospitals brace for impact
TORONTO, (Reuters) – Canada’s health system is preparing for an influx of coronavirus patients in the midst of a long-running bed shortage, calling doctors out of retirement and ramping down any treatment that can wait. A shortage of beds during periods of peak demand, like the flu season, is a longstanding problem in the publicly […] Read more
Brazil agribusiness groups seek govt support to keep ports running – letter
SAO PAULO, (Reuters) – A group of almost 50 agribusiness associations has sought support from the federal government to guarantee Brazilian ports continue to operate amid the coronavirus crisis, according to a letter dated March 18 seen by Reuters. In the letter addressed to President Jair Bolsonaro and Infrastructure Minister Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas, farmers […] Read more
