Chinese crops slow
BEIJING, China (Reuters) – Adverse weather has hit China’s wheat and rapeseed crops and slowed plantings of corn and soybeans in some areas, although these problems are so far seen as having only a small impact.
Lower-than-normal temperatures this spring have hurt China’s winter wheat crop in the north while heavy mid-April snows could delay planting of corn and soybean in the largest growing area in the northeast, government bodies said.
Weather problems and reduced acreage could reduce the rapeseed harvest by 1-1.5 million tonnes from last year.
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Analyst Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consulting Co. Ltd. estimated China’s winter wheat output could fall by less than one percent from 106 million tonnes last year, adding the winter crop in the largest area of Henan was growing well.
Saudi alters wheat expectations
SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia has modified its wheat import quality specifications that will allow imports from Australia, the Western Australian state government said.
The changes, to allow lower protein levels and a small tolerance for ergot fungus mean that wheat from Western Australia, the country’s top grain exporting state, can take part in tenders issued by Saudi Arabia’s Grains Silos and Flour Mills Organization.
Livestock sales halted
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters) – Argentine ranchers are expected to stop livestock sales for two days later this week in support of a protest by meat packing workers over government policy in the beef market, farm leaders said.
The protest, slated for April 29-30 after deadlines for this issue, will not affect the country’s key grains shipments. But it could fuel tensions between the government and farmers, who are angry over beef export controls imposed in recent months to tame soaring steak prices.
Argentine farmers staged a wave of commercial strikes during 2008 and 2009, paralyzing the nation’s grains and livestock trade for weeks at a time and rattling local financial markets.
Fight against hunger
BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) – The European Union and other major aid donors must increase support for small-scale farms operated by women in developing countries if they are to meet the goal of halving hunger by 2015, said ActionAid an international anti-poverty agency.
Small farmers, the majority of whom are women, produce about half the world’s food supply and 90 percent of all food grown in Africa.
Locusts threaten Australian wheat
SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) – A locust plague threatens Australia’s wheat crop ahead of its October harvest, government officials there have warned.
Adult locusts are heading south to more southern grain growing regions, endangering crops in the world’s fourth largest wheat exporter.
The last significant locust plague in Australia was in 2004, but farmers managed to combat it by destroying hatchings and harvested a 21.9 million wheat crop.
Ukraine plans state grain trader
KIEV, Ukraine (Reuters) – The new Ukrainian government plans to set up a state-run grain trader to compete with private firms, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister recently announced.
The government said private firms, which dominated the market, have dictated unprofitable prices for farmers.
“We will set up a state trader to create an alternative to companies, which buy and export from Ukraine. It will take place in the near future,” Viktor Slauta said.
Ukraine exported 25 million tonnes of grain in the 2008-09 season and plans to sell abroad up to 22 million in 2009-10.
Russia eyes Ukrainian ports for exports
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia wants to use Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea to ship its expanding grain stocks and is prepared to invest in upgrades to its neighbour’s infrastructure, the Russian agriculture ministry said.
Russian investment in Ukrainian ports topped the agenda when Ukraine’s new agriculture minister, Mykola Prysyazhnyuk, met with his Russian counterpart in Moscow.
Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich has moved quickly since his election in February to patch up relations with ex-Soviet master Russia, which had deteriorated under his pro-Western predecessor, Viktor Yushchenko.
U.S. cuts back on salt
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Reuters) – U.S. regulators plan to push for a gradual cut to the amount of salt Americans consume, saying less sodium would reduce deaths from hypertension and heart disease, the Washington Post reported.
The effort would eventually lead to the first legal limits on the amount of salt allowed in processed foods. The plan is to be launched this year but officials have not set salt limits, the article said.
The government plans to work with the food industry and health experts to reduce sodium gradually over a period of years.
