News

World grain prices to remain high with supply tight

Corn industrial use, chiefly for ethanol, will jump almost 20% next year, while corn feed use will stand 3% lower.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture projected earlier this month that corn use for ethanol will account for about 40% of domestic use.

Separately, in a report released on Thursday, the U.S. Food and Agriculture Organization said the world's agricultural commodity prices should ease from their recent record peaks but over the next 10 years, prices will be much higher than the past decade.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 30.05.2008. 13:17

U.S. Grains Council and ASA Promote Feed Grains in Southeast Asia

The U.S. Grains Council worked jointly with the American Soybean Association (ASA) last week to host the 16th Annual ASA Feed Technology and Nutrition Workshop in Singapore.

Since 2003, the Council has collaborated with the American Soybean Association in organizing this event in the Southeast Asia region.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 30.05.2008. 13:16

Mexico to Eliminate Grain Taxes to Help Reduce Prices

Mexico will eliminate import tariffs on wheat, corn, rice and beans and cut in half a tariff on powdered milk to help lower food prices amid the highest inflation rate in more than three years.

The government will also eliminate import taxes on nitrogen-based fertilizer and provide farmers with a line of credit for imports of the chemical, President Felipe Calderon said today during a news conference in Mexico City.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 25.05.2008. 13:27

Ukrainian government lifts restrictions on grain exports

Ukraine has lifted all restrictions on exports of wheat and other grain.

The Agriculture Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that ex-Soviet republic does not need to restrict grain exports for 2008 nor for coming years.

Ukraine has some of Europe's richest land and is one of the world's largest grain exporters.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 21.05.2008. 11:59

China says it is able to maintain stable grain supply and price

China is able to guarantee stable domestic food supply and keep prices level, as the country has abundant grain reserves, said the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) Tuesday.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 06.05.2008. 11:46

Australian Grain Technologies releases two new feed grade wheat varieties with top rust resistance

Australian Grain Technologies (AGT) new Feed Grade durum wheat Zulu, and Feed Grade bread wheat Zebu, combine very high grain yield, early to mid maturity, good straw strength, excellent resistance to the three rusts (stem leaf and stripe) and adequate yellow leaf spot resistance. Agronomic type of both varieties is excellent and maturity suits main season sowing.
A large portion of the Queensland and northern New South Wales wheat crop (3.0 million tonnes average annual eastern states use of feed wheat) traditionally supplies the various livestock industries such as beef and lamb feed lotting, dairying, poultry and pig meat. Zulu and Zebu represent a deliberate effort by AGT to develop wheat varieties that focus on high yield and disease resistance for this important and rapidly growing industry.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 24.04.2008. 04:49

Australia feed millers to try U.S. DDG

A prolonged drought curtailing Australian grain production might compel that country to import more U.S. dried distillers grains (DDG) in the future, according to the U.S. Grains Council. The action would be necessary to help keep Australia’s livestock industries going, said USCG Chairman Dale Artho, a Texas grain producer.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 21.03.2008. 07:26

Aust feed company brings in tapioca, palm kernel for dairy cows

A bulk carrier ship has loaded 10,500 tonnes of tapioca in Thailand and another 16,400 tonnes of palm kernel in Indonesia to feed New Zealand dairy cows.

The newly-completed Nord Singapore will berth in Auckland on Saturday and is also due to discharge feed at New Plymouth and Lyttelton.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 17.03.2008. 07:39

Bangladesh to waive duty on poultry feed ingredients

Bangladesh will withdraw a 10 percent import duty on ingredients for poultry feed to help the country's poultry sector recover from losses caused by the outbreak of bird flu, tax officials said on Thursday.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 06.03.2008. 07:20

Feed millers eye zero tariff on corn substitutes

Feed millers have sought duty-free importation of soy bean, soy bean meal, tapioca and dried distillers grains as possible corn substitute to keep the industry afloat amid the high cost of feeds.

“Since we’re not allowed to import duty-free under the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act [Afma] like some sectors, we are banking on the word of Secretary [Arthur] Yap that he will help the feed milling sector procure the necessary raw materials for our operations,” an industry source said.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 12.02.2008. 07:02

No more animal feed from paddy, rice

The Government yesterday banned the utilisation of paddy and rice as animal feed.

Trade, Marketing Development, Co-operatives and Consumer Affairs Minister Bandula Gunawardana told the Daily News that using rice and paddy in direct or indirect ways to manufacture animal feed will be prohibited.

The Gazette has been issued by the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) under the directive of Minister Bandula Gunawardana banning the purchase, transport, storage, processing and sale of rice and paddy as animal feed.

He said that there is a belief that the reason for the recent rice price hike could be the use of paddy reaped during last season to manufacture animal feed.

"Considering all these opinions, we made this decision to prevent the rice shortage in the market," he said.

Raids will be conducted by the CAA throughout the island to nab traders who sell, purchase, transport, store and process the rice and paddy as animal feed in defiance of the Government directive.

He said that the CAA is filing court cases against errant traders taking a stringent approach.

He said local rice stocks are arriving in the market with the commencement of harvesting in Kurunegala and Amapara districts.

The Minister said under Section 18 of the Consumer Affairs Authority Act, rice has been gazetted as an essential commodity from January 23

• Comments (0) 26.01.2008. 04:12

More corn to lower Taiwanese feed prices

Farmers in Taiwan are receiving subsidies to grow maize in order to stabilize domestic animal feed prizes.

Contracted farmers growing maize for animal feed will be eligible to receive NT$45,000 (US$1,385.68) per hectare from the government. The officials gave assurances that other farmers who use their fallow land to grow maize will also receive government assistance to market their crops.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 24.01.2008. 03:57

CO brewery’s wastewater to feed fish

The New Belgium Brewing Co., a craft brewery based here, is joining forces with three Colorado entrepreneurs to turn the brewery’s wastewater into high-protein fish food.

"We can't support the growth of the aquaculture business using fish to feed fish," said Randy Swenson, CEO of Oberon FMR Inc. "The business we're in is fish meal replacement."

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 03.01.2008. 03:15

China imposes taxes on grain exports

Chinese authorities announced new taxes on grain exports over the weekend as the nation struggles to contain surging food prices and cool consumer price inflation running at decade-high levels.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 01.01.2008. 03:10

Idaho barley used in Vietnam fish-feed trials

Catfish in Vietnam will soon be feasting on Idaho barley.

About 21 metric tons of low-phytate barley was shipped out of Tetonia, Idaho, earlier this month destined for Vietnam where it will be field tested as fish food.

The Idaho Barley Commission donated the barley and the U.S. Grains Council arranged for payment of ocean freight.

The low-phytate barley will be tested as feed for Catfish Tra, a popular food in Vietnam.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 01.01.2008. 03:07

Crop subsidies: a world of difference for African farmers

NGIRESI, Tanzania — Farmer Loi Bangoti picks corn by hand on the lush, cool slopes of his land, nestled under the cloudy shadow of Africa's highest mountains.

Half a world away, farmer Tim Recker drives his combine through the famously flat, open corn fields that stretch out in the sun across the plains of Iowa.

For all their differences, both men rely on a complex global food market that decides how much their corn is worth and who will buy it. And the lives of both — along with millions of other farmers — will be affected by a growing movement to change one of the biggest forces shaping the market: subsidies.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 15.12.2007. 01:56

Feds to scrap bond requirement for grain companies

Grain companies will no longer have to post bonds or letters of credit as security to cover unpaid purchases of Prairie farmers' grain, under federal government proposals to "modernize" the Canadian Grain Commission.

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz on Thursday announced this and other proposed changes, in tandem with the introduction of new amendments to the Canada Grain Act.

The government said that to cut costs, it will end the CGC-administered producer payment security program, which until now has required Prairie grain companies to post such bonds as a condition of a CGC license.

From those bonds, farmers have been able to recover some or all of the cash owed to them if a CGC-licensed grain company can't or won't pay for grain that farmers have delivered.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada said the change will bring the Prairie grain industry in line with other farm sectors, as well as the Eastern Canada grain industry, where Ottawa doesn't require similar programs.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 14.12.2007. 01:33

Drought forces Tassie to import feed grain

Tasmanian feed grain imports are up about 80 per cent in 2007 compared to previous years.

The huge increase is due to dry conditions through the centre of the state and strong demand from dairy farmers looking to capitalise on high milk prices.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 12.12.2007. 01:26

Hot CPI figure may spark further measures to cool grain prices

China's hot November consumer price index figure, which hit an 11-year high of 6.9 percent, might trigger further government control measures to cool rising grain prices, and may be felt first at state grain auctions.

"State grain auctions are definitely the most direct and effective way of cooling domestic grain prices in the short term, as it immediately enriches market supply," a researcher on the agriculture industry from Huatai Securities, who did not want to be named, told Interfax.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 11.12.2007. 01:15

Brazil Cuts Soybean Crop Forecast on Corn Planting

Soybean output in Brazil, the world's second-biggest grower, will fall next year as rising corn prices prompted some farmers to switch crops, the government said. Corn output may rise more than expected to a record.

Soybean growers will harvest 58.1 million metric tons, less than a November estimate of 59.4 million tons, the Agriculture Ministry said today in Brasilia. The ministry, in its first joint report with the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics, raised its corn forecast to 52.3 million tons from 51.8 million.

Some farmers favored corn over soybeans after corn prices more than doubled in the past two years because of rising demand for ethanol made from the grain. Soybean planting was also delayed because of dry weather in Brazil, said Silvio Porto, head of logistics at the ministry's Conab forecasting agency.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 10.12.2007. 01:12

E.U. grain production decreases

The European Union's organization of grain traders, the Cereals Commerce Committee (Coceral) has adjusted its' estimates of 2007/08 E.U. grain production.

The total crop is seen at 252.9 million tons, compared to 251.4 million in September and the 2006/07 final of 258.7 million tons. The year to year drop is attributed primarily to weather, with widespread drier than normal conditions bordering on drought in sections of Eastern Europe and wetter than normal weather across large swaths of Western Europe.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 07.12.2007. 01:09

China to auction 500,000 tons of corn next week, analysts expect limited market impact

Shanghai, CHINA: China will auction 500,000 tons of middle-grade corn from government stockpiles at the Anhui Grain Wholesale Market on Dec. 11 to ensure corn supplies and cool domestic prices, according to an announcement released yesterday by the National Grain and Oil Trade Center.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 07.12.2007. 01:06

Ahluwalia says 50% leakage in grain distribution is unacceptable

In an attempt to combat corruption in various Centre-sponsored programmes and food distribution, the government has appointed two outside agencies even as it specifically addresses ways to deal with the problem in the 11th Plan document.

The Planning Commission is of the view that corruption, especially in food distribution to the poor, is still high despite government attempts to plug loopholes over the years.

“In the 1980s, Rajiv Gandhi, when he was the prime minister, had said he felt that for every rupee spent on food distribution through the public distribution, only 15 paise reached the poor. Such was the extent of leakage, but today it has come down from 83% to 50%,” said deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia. He agreed that even 50% is still too high.

A report prepared by the Commission, which was submitted last year, had concluded that leakages in targeted public distribution systems, which aims to supply foodgrains and essential commodities to those below the poverty line, was as high as 50% across the country.

“Corruption is widely known, accepted and perceived, and the existing machinery should be made more efficient, besides punitive action should be made stronger,” said Ahluwalia.

• Continue reading • Comments (0) 07.12.2007. 00:52