Russia shipped 50,000 tonnes each to Somalia and the Central African Republic and 25,000 tonnes each to Mali, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe and Eritrea, agriculture minister Dmitry Patrushev told Putin during a meeting, according to transcript on the Kremlin’s website. | Reuters photo

Russia sends Africa free food

REUTERS — Russia’s agriculture minister said late last month that Moscow had completed its initiative of shipping 200,000 tonnes of free grain to six African countries as promised by president Vladimir Putin in July. Russia shipped 50,000 tonnes each to Somalia and the Central African Republic and 25,000 tonnes each to Mali, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe […] Read more

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan and market analyst Kevin Grier looked at beef, pork, flour, bread, canola oil, lentils, margarine and beer. | File photo

Farmers not to blame for food prices: report

REGINA — An analysis of eight food items found little connection between higher grocery prices and what farmers earn at the farmgate. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan and market analyst Kevin Grier looked at beef, pork, flour, bread, canola oil, lentils, margarine and beer. Related stories: Report sees Canadian food inflation fading Grocery code […] Read more

The forestry industry has much in common with agriculture, considering both industries are strongly grounded in rural Canada and both share opportunities presented by climate change mitigation efforts.  |  Reuters/ Ben Nelms photo

Ag, forestry sectors urged to advocate together

An industry leader says both sectors poised to provide solutions to critical issues if the appropriate policies are in place

The agriculture and forestry sectors have a lot in common and should be working together on common goals, says an industry leader. Derek Nighbor, president of the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), said both industries are strongly grounded in rural Canada and both share unique opportunities that are timely in the current environment. “As […] Read more


The author writes that the federal Competition Bureau was right to call for more competition in the grocery industry, arguing that Loblaw, Empire/Sobeys and Metro control 80 percent of Canada’s food retail business.  |  Reuters/Carlos Osorio photo

Grocery sector needs competition

The Competition Bureau’s call for increased competition in the Canadian grocery sector is stating the obvious. Canada is home to numerous oligopolies that dominate various industries. For example, five major players in the grocery sector control nearly 80 percent of the food retail market. While some oligopolies function more effectively, their success depends on the […] Read more

On May 31, the Canadian Food Innovation Network announced that Gastronomous Technologies Inc. will receive $1,919,655 for its project called Smart Kitchens, the largest sum of funding between five recipients in the programs. | Screencap via YouTube/Gastronomous

CFIN announces funding for food sector projects

The Canadian Food Innovation Network has chosen the funding recipients of its Food Innovation Challenge and Innovation Booster programs. On May 31, CFIN announced that Gastronomous Technologies Inc. will receive $1,919,655 for its project called Smart Kitchens, the largest sum of funding between five recipients in the programs. Laboratoire Innodal Inc. will receive $943,592 for […] Read more


Countries such as Turkey are in particular jeopardy because half or more of their wheat comes from Russia and Ukraine. | Louise Erskine photo

Soaring global food prices spark social unrest

War in Ukraine exacerbates existing supply chain problems, rising inflation and record debt triggered by COVID pandemic

Food price inflation is higher than it was during the Arab Spring revolts in the early 2010s. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price Index averaged 159.3 points in March 2022, up 13 percent from February and the highest level since its inception in 1990. It is well above the levels that existed […] Read more

Savings rates have dropped around the world as higher-income households dip into their cash reserves, but they are still well above pre-pandemic levels. Export Development Canada says there is plenty of pent-up consumer spending that is expected to fuel global economic growth in 2022 and beyond. Source: Haver Analytics, EDC

Buoyant global economic growth expected

A 5.5 percent increase in global gross domestic product is predicted for this year, despite a resurgence in COVID-19 cases

Export Development Canada is forecasting another strong year of global economic growth in 2022. It predicts a 5.5 percent increase in global gross domestic product, down slightly from six percent in 2021. That is despite the Omicron-related resurgence in the COVID-19 pandemic. “The trajectory of the global economy seems to have decoupled from the trajectory […] Read more



Empty grocery store shelves are among the factors that some point to when arguing for a wholesale overhaul of the country’s food production.  |  Reuters/Carlos Osorio photo

Will the COVID crisis cause a food revolution?

Innovative technologies are waiting on the shelf, but will they finally be embraced?

There’s been lots of blather about exciting food and agriculture industry technological innovations. “Smart” everything has been talked about for more than a decade. My newspaper has published dozens of stories about the possibilities of blockchain. The “internet of things” is a term buzzing away at every farm and ag conference out there. But it’s […] Read more

Don’t take farming and food for granted says U of C report

Canadians and Canada’s governments shouldn’t take farming and food for granted. That’s the bottom line of a June 9 report from the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. “Food security in Canada is not something to be taken for granted and government policy action must reflect the essential service agriculture provides for our nation,” […] Read more