Cargill accused of discrimination

Cargill Meat Solutions has been accused of discrimination against 4,069 qualified females white, black, Hispanic and Native American applicants. The US Department of Labour Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), has filed an administrative complaint against Cargill. The applicants were seeking entry level jobs at its Springfield facility. "This is an unfortunate case in which thousands of qualified workers were denied the opportunity to compete fairly for jobs in a tough economy," said OFCCP Director Patricia A. Shiu. Read more ...

Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) plans for the top 3

Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) is planning to become one of the top three animal feed firms in the world. Adirek Sripratak, president and CEO of CPF said that the acquisition of CP Pokphand Co (CPP) in Hong Kong was part of its global strategy to become one of the world’s top three animal-feed firms.

"CPF is to spearhead exploring business opportunities overseas by itself rather than relying on its subsidiaries. The strategy will strengthen the company's bargaining power with trading partners," Adirek said, adding that this restructuring was similar to what CPF did in 1999 to consolidate all related subsidiaries into branches of CPF. Read more ...

Two southeast beef producers wins environmental award

In Queensland, Australia two southeast beef producers have been awarded a significant environmental award. The award for a cattle feed conversion testing station, which was built by the two beef producers. Rathdowney producers Matthew Arkinstall and Warren Drynan are the people behind the creation of a feed efficiency test facility at the Drynan family property, Running Creek, designed to improve sustainable beef production.

Results from the first feeding trial concluding late last year showed individual efficiencies ranging from 3.62:1 to 8.5:1. All animals gained in excess of 2kg/day, with the best at 3.09kg/day, based on a 77-day test. “The problem is that it’s impossible to tell the difference between efficient converters and inefficient ones, just by looking at them,” Arkinstall said. Read more ...

US Corn and soybean demand and acreage prospects 2012

Corn and soybean prices have dropped sharply since the release of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA’s) November Crop Production report that contained smaller forecasts of the size of the 2011 harvest for both crops. The recent price behavior suggests that the market believes that the combination of very high prices in the late summer and early fall and weaker demand prospects have been sufficient to ration the relatively small crops. Read more ...

Positive outlook for agricultural producers in Canada

Alberta producers are benefiting from a good growing season and higher beef, poultry, pork and dairy prices. The growing season for 2011 proved to be a good year for crops, producing high quality yields for producers in Alberta. “Agriculture is the largest renewable industry in Alberta, totalling CAN$6.7 (€4.861) billion in exports in 2010 and employing 70,000 Albertans directly and indirectly” said Premier Alison Redford. “A thriving agriculture industry is an important part of a strong Alberta economy.” Read more ...

Improved barley distillers grain

Researchers at Virginia Tech and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have developed a strategy that reduces barley toxins that are sometimes present in distiller grains used for animal feed. The strategy modifies the ethanol fermentation process and focuses on deoxynivalenol (DON), the most common barley mycotoxin. Researcher Piyum Khatibi, doctoral student at Virginia Tech, said "the team decided to see if the toxin could be modified to a less toxic product during fermentation". Read more ...

University of Missouri goes organic

The University of Missouri's Bradford Research and Extension Center is embarking on the university's first nationally funded organic farming research project. The cover crops of cereal rye and hairy vetch, are the first stage in a project funded by the US Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) with a grant of US$740,000 (€554,452.4).

The project hopes to advance organic cropping systems with a focus on weed suppression, minimising greenhouse gas emissions, increasing fertility in an environmentally friendly way and improving grain productivity. MU joins 23 other institutions that shared US$19 million (€14.236 million) in grants from NIFA. Read more ...

Bangladesh to import 50,000 tons of wheat

In an attempt to boost reserves of wheat in Bangladesh, the state grain buyers yesterday issued a tender to import 50,000 tons of wheat. The last date for submission of offers is December 12, with validity until December 21, and the wheat is to be shipped in 40 days after signing the contract. The front-month Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures contract skidded to a 16-month low on Friday amid worries a global economic slowdown will sap demand.  However, the Bangladesh government has been struggling with high inflation running a double-digit rate despite bumper crops and good stocks. Read more ...

Global grain exports in retreat

The Global Grains Export prices retreated, the GOI index fell by 16 points to a 13 month low. Part of the reasons for this decline has to do with the financial issues in the European Union, affecting all commodities, along with bearishly perceived market fundamentals, as harvests neared completion in the northern hemisphere and work started south of the equator.

Heavy supplies of wheat amid strong export competition, including from new crop grain out of Argentina and Australia, mostly reduced fob values by between US$20 (€14.985) and US$30 (€22.478)  over the past month, narrowing the gap with Black Sea quotations. Read more ...

The agriculture industry in Tunisia is bouncing back

Tunisia's agriculture industry is bouncing back after a poor year in 2010, with low seasonal rains which meant poor harvest for many crops. The improved performance marks a strong turn around from 2010. Late last year, the Agriculture Ministry estimated that it would have to import up to two million tons of grain to make up for the shortfall in 2010 production. The savings on imports would run to more than US$286 million (€216.11 million), the agriculture minister, Mokhtar Jalouli said. Read more ...

Japan buys more wheat than it has in a decade

Japan, the world’s largest corn buyer, may purchase less of the grain as feed-wheat imports almost quadruple this year to the highest level since 2001, as livestock producers seek to cut costs. “Increased purchases of feed wheat means Japan’s corn imports will decline, as overall demand for feed grains isn’t growing,” Tomita said in Tokyo. Japan’s feed makers, recovering from damage caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, “are taking advantage of an expanded gap in purchasing costs between corn and wheat.” Read more ...

Australia grain industry has a positive outlook

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, has welcomed the release of the Australian Grains 11.2: Grains outlook 2011-12 and industry productivity report, where the total summer crop area in 2011-12 is forecast to be 1.5 million hectares and 41 million tons. He said that the report presents a positive outlook for the grains industry. "Growing conditions over winter and spring were broadly favourable in Australia's major winter cropping regions and crops were generally reported to be in good condition," The report, produced by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, provides a summary of the outlook for crop production in Australia and analysis of productivity growth in the Australian grains industry. Read more ...

The Canadian grain industry reaps the rewards

Grain farmers and the grain industry reaped the rewards of added market opportunities and competition, said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz at the 2011 Grain Industry Symposium titled A Time for Change: Increasing Opportunities for Canada's Grain Industry, November, 22. Minister Ritz outlined how the CAN$50 (€35, 746) million Agricultural Innovation Program (AIP) will support industry-led science and technology, bridging the gap between ideas and the marketplace. By helping make innovative value-added products, technologies, processes and services commercially available, the Canadian agriculture sector can reduce production costs, create jobs, and boost revenue. Read more ...

Feed conversion rates are important to record

In pig farming one of the most important economic traits in pig production to record is efficient feed conversion, but in the UK breeders are not recording it correctly. Ed Sutcliffe a geneticist and technical director of pig-breeding company ACMC, has told a meeting of Northamptonshire Quality Pig Producers’ Association at Moulton College, near Northampton. That Feed conversion rates (FCR) are more important than recording the number of pigs born or growth rate. He demonstrated that an improvement of one standard deviation in feed conversion (equivalent to about 0.4 FCR points) could be worth as much as UK£18. 52 (US$28.822) per pig, assuming daily feed intake remained the same. Read more ...

Feed mill in Newfoundland to close

Stephenville, Newfoundland is to lose its livestock and poultry feed mill operation, Shur-Gain a Nutreco subsidiary and one of Canada's large suppliers of animal feeds, will permanently shut down the mill at the end of the year. "The reasons for this closure are related to the low volume of finished feeds being manufactured and limited profitability at the operation," said Réjean Faubert, Shur-Gain's Atlantic region general manager. "We will continue to maintain a presence in the livestock industry of the region in supplying sales and technical services and will remain a supplier of feeds products to Newfoundland customers through our Moncton (New Brunswick) mill facility." Read more ...

Ethanol eats too much corn claims livestock farmers

Iowa livestock farmers are demanding a change to the nations ethanol policy, they say the current regulations lead to spikes in meat prices and can cause shortages at  supermarkets if corn growers have a bad year. The worry is that if corn production drops due to a natural disaster, then the amount of corn consumed by the ethanol industry along with overseas demand could cause the cost of feed to skyrocket, leaving them little choice but reducing the size of the herds. "If we get a short crop, the ethanol industry does not participate in rationing and the brunt will fall on livestock and poultry," said Steve Meyer, president of Paragon Economics, a livestock and grain marketing and economic advisory company in Adel, Iowa. Read more ...

Dairy farms have problems with mycotoxins

Missing the smallest detail can have a detrimental effect on feed use efficiency and performance, this was a problem UK dairy farmers found out to their cost. Rowe Farm, Whittington, Gloucestershire discovered a sudden drop in milk production, that was later found to be attributed to mycotoxins. Mycotoxins can be found throughout the UK, studies undertaken on 38 samples of UK maize and whole-crop wheat silages for harvest in 2007 showed high levels of widespread mycotoxin contamination with no specific geographical bias. Read more ...

Long-Term Agroecological Research (LTAR) Experiment

A long term research study of organic crop systems has shown that they can provide similar yields to conventional corn-soybean rotation, but can return much higher economic returns. The Long-Term Agroecological Research (LTAR) Experiment was established in 1998 at the Iowa State University Neely-Kinyon Farm in Greenfield, Iowa running as a side by side comparison in Iowa showed that organic crops can remain competitive with conventional crops. As well as the economical benefits, the study showed that the organic system also builds healthy soils as well as increased nitrogen and increases in carbon, potassium, phosphorous, magnesium and calcium. Read more ...

Poultry feed mill saves energy well increasing production

Aviagen's Alabama mill

Aviagen poultry feed mill newly expanded in Athens Alabama US, has increased its feed production by 30 percent, but at the same time it has reduced its electric, natural gas and diesel gas costs by US$169,836 (€125,474) electricity consumption dropped by 15 percent, natural gas use dropped by 28 percent and diesel fuel savings came in at US$63,200 (€46,692), according to Aviagen. The newly refurbished mill which is focused on sustainable practices, added new equipment and procedures. As a result the positive impact this refurbishment has had “Our Athens mill expansion is achieving all our goals,” said Richard Obermeyer, Aviagen’s director of feed production. Read more ...

Becoming popular liquid swine feed

In the US liquid swine feed is not common in swine production, but was discussed along with 15 other topics at the International Conference on Feed Efficiency in Swine, held from 8-9 November at CenturyLink Center Omaha. "We're seeing an opportunity to improve feed efficiency," said Case De Lange from the University of Guelph in Ontario Province in Canada. The event on the first day had 420 registered delegates from 15 countries and at least 20 states in the US. Mr De Lange went on to say that "One of five pigs in our province is raised on liquid feed systems". Read more ...

Nutreco signs agreement to sell Hendrix to ForFarmers

Hendrix a leading supplier of compound feeds in the Netherlands and Belgium is being sold to ForFarmers for €92.5 million (US$124.588 million) resulting in a book profit at completion. Hendrix owned by Nutreco operates 10 production facilities with a total capacity of 2.5 million tons. The agreed sale will go ahead early 2012 if ForFarmers gets regulatory approval from the European anti-competition authorities and shareholder approval. Wout Dekker, CEO of Nutreco, commented: "The intended sale of Hendrix to ForFarmers is in line with Nutreco's strategy to participate in the consolidation of the compound feed industry in mature markets such as the Netherlands and Belgium. Read more ...

Nutreco planning for the future driving sustainable growth

Nutreco Animal nutrition and fish feed company has just announced its strategy for the next five year "Ambition 2016 - driving sustainable growth". “Our strategy for animal nutrition will be enabled by our Application and Solution Center (ASC) in Canada as well as the establishment of a new European ASC in the Netherlands in the first quarter of 2012. Read more ...

Ag Processing to pay civil penalty to the United States

Due to the Mason City facility not having had submitted a Facility Response Project to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as required by the Federal clean water act. They had also not developed or instigated a facility response training plan or drill/exercise program. AGP's settlement includes a schedule of steps that the company must take to submit to E.P.A. a Facility Response Project for the Mason City facility, and an arrangement to conduct a revised evaluation of whether a Facility Response Project is required for its facility in Emmetsburg, Iowa. Read more ...

Russia to purchase grain to supplement stocks

The Russian Agricultural Ministry has said that Russia will buy grain to add to its intervention stocks. Russia uses the intervention stocks intervention stocks to regulates prices with intervention tenders, selling grain from its stocks when prices are high and buying it when they are low. It said it may start purchase tenders if the price for benchmark third-grade milling wheat declines to 4,700 roubles (US$153.24) per ton in the Asian part of the country. Read more ...

Japan buys European Corn as substitute for US grain

The world's largest corn importer Japan has made its largest purchase of European grain in at least a decade. 800,000 tons was brought from the Ukraine after it had removed tax on exports last month. The purchase was made as an cheap alternative to the US supply. “Japan joined other Asian buyers in finding cheaper alternatives to US corn in feed as the American supply became too expensive,” Takaki Shigemoto, a commodity analyst at research company JSC Corp in Tokyo, said today by phone. “A shift in demand will drag Chicago futures toward US$6 (€4.459).” Read more ...

China buys US soybean to boost reserves

China has imported 500,000-600,000 tons of soybean to fill its state reserves, buying now takes advantage of the lower global prices. China, which buys 60 percent of soybeans traded across the world, aims to import a total of 2 million tons in the 2011/12 year, and the latest purchases appear to have fulfilled more than 60 percent of its target. China soybean imports are likely to climb more than 10 percent to around 58 million tons in the year to September 2012 as the nation ramps up pork production to ease tight supply, and food inflation. Read more ...

IAOM 35 annual Latin America district meeting

The Latin America District of the International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM) invites milling professionals to participate in its annual technical meeting on November 20, in La Antigua, Guatemala. The meeting will focus on the operations side of the flour milling industry, with a one-day pre-conference workshop on November 19. The IAOM meeting precedes the 29 Annual ALIM meeting. In striving to streamline processes and run their facilities more efficiently, shift millers, plant managers, mill superintendents, head millers and quality control staff will benefit from a series of veteran speakers who will share their insights and expertise on mill operations. Read more ...

Feed amino acids capacity expanding

Ajinomoto Animal Nutrition Group is to increase the production capacity of feed use amino acids. They intend to increase L-Lysine production capacity by 150,000 ton s, L-Threonine by 80,000 tons, and L-Tryptophan by 7,000 tons. Feed-use amino acid products will be used to produce L-Valine and L-Isoleucine, AminoGut, a combination of L-Glutamine and Glutamic acid for intestinal gut function optimisation, and AjiPro-L, a rumen protected L-Lysine product. The company also introduced new pricing for its pharmaceutical and food-grade bulk amino acids due to global increases in raw materials and energy costs. Read more ...

The USDA November feed outlook report 2011-12

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its November feed outlook report 2011/12, US feed grain production are lowered by 123 million bushels to 12,3 billion. At 146.7 bushels per acre, this year’s yield would be the lowest since 2003/04. The November forecast for 2011/12 US feed grain production is 323.1 million tons, down from last month’s forecast of 326.2 million. The month-to-month decrease results from lower forecast corn production. Upward revisions for sorghum and barley and a slight decrease for oats, resulting from revised yields, are minimal. The feed grain supply change reflects adjustments in production as imports were steady for the four individual feed grains. Read more ...

Despite the widespread floods, rice production to increase

Global rice production, is set to increase by three percent, despite the widespread floods that have hit South East Asia. Global production of paddy (unmilled) rice will reach 721 million tons in 2011, which was 2.4 million tons higher than predicted in July, it was also three percent up on the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) forecasts from 2010. "The revision reflects expected improved rice harvests in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India and Vietnam, which more than outweighed a worsening of prospects in Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Madagascar, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand," the FAO said. Read more ...

New cheaper turkey feed could help producers increase profits

Feeding turkeys has become a costly issue to turkey farmers in the US, and the cost of the feeds account for up to 70 percent of production. Now a University of Missouri researcher has produced a cheaper turkey feed, which could fill turkeys and producers pockets. "Cost reduction is a critical concern in the industry," said Jeff Firman, a professor in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. "High feed costs pose long-term problems to the industry and make it difficult to maintain a competitive edge against other sources of protein, such as pork and chicken." Read more ...

Plant Based Feeds Improving Fish Digestibility

Salmon and rainbow trout digest protein in plant based feeds better with the inclusion of acid salts in combination with high temperatures during extrusion. Thea Morken from the Aquaculture Protein Center (APC), in Norway carried out this research as part of her doctoral thesis. She examined whether the combination of high temperature and acid salts increases the nutritional value of plant ingredients, rather than applying heat and acid salts separately. The hypothesis was that acid salts protect the protein from heat-induced damage during processing. Read more ...

Dutch research project to lower methane emissions of dairy cows

As part of a financial support on research to reduce methane emission of a dairy cow nine companies are to receive subsidies. Agentschap NL, part of the Ministry of Economics, Agriculture and Innovation has revealed which companies will be subsidised for research on feeds which result in lower emission of green house gases. The aim of the research projects is to decrease five percent of the methane emission of a dairy cow, by at least, by 2020, a target that is part of the project Innovation and Action program for Clean and Economical Agri Sectors. Read more ...

Delacon Biotechnik opens animal feed research centre in Czech Republic

A new research and development center has been opened near Znojmo in the Czech Republic by Delacon Biotechnik Ges mbH. "We decided to set up the test center in order to find a way of improving livestock keeping and performance while reducing emissions at the same time," explains Markus Dedl, Managing Director of the company Delacon Biotechnik. "The main goal now for Delacon Biotechnik is to find new plant-based active ingredients, their combination and type of application and to test whether they can be used successfully in animal production". Read more ...

China: animal feed imports suspended

Several major Chinese importers have suspended imports of an animal feed from the US, due to concerns China's government may levy high duties on the product after it launched an anti-dumping investigation. Shandong Liuhe Group Co, a major animal feed manufacturer in China, is due over the next few months to receive shipments of US, DDG it previously ordered, Zhou Xiaoyan, a grain purchasing manager at the group, told reporters in a phone interview Friday. "We are importing now, but have cancelled shipments from March," she said, adding that high DDG prices at present will also limit Liuhe's purchases. Local analysts have said other importers have also suspended shipments. Read more ...

AFIA is pleased with the passing of the free trade Agreements

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) is pleased with the passing of the free trade Agreements (FTAs) with Korea, Panama and Colombia. The trade agreements are expected to increase exports by US$2.3 billion (€1.7 billion) well creating up to 20,000 jobs. “We are thrilled the Free Trade Agreements have finally received clearance after several years of delay,” said AFIA president and CEO Joel G. Newman. “In today’s economic downturn, America could not afford to sit on the sidelines anymore. Our farmers and ranchers are ready to level the playing field by creating American products on American soil while providing jobs to hardworking American citizens,” he continued. Read more ...

Cargill and KSU to build animal feed research center

Kansas State University (KSU) and Cargill have joined forces to build Cargill Center for Feed Safety Research. Cargill gave KSU, US$500,000 (€368,337.5) to help with the construction of the new research facility. The new research facilities will study pathogens such  salmonella and E. coli to address current food and feed safety issues facing the feed industry. The facility will be in the department of grain science and industry complex along Kimball Avenue, part of the new OH Kruse Feed Mill and Biorefinery Teaching and Research Center. Completion of the center is expected o be at the end of 2012. Read more ...

New options for non GM soybean in feeds

Dr John Schillinger an acknowledged GMO soybean breeder, has developed new opportunities in animal and aquaculture feeds from tailored non-genetically modified (GM) soybeans. From a practical perspective, the value-added advantage in using these improved soybean varieties is highlighted by savings in processing costs since there is no need for heat-deactivation of protease inhibitors, improvement of nutritive value as there is no nutrient deterioration and the elimination of potentially detrimental effects of excessive oligosaccharide concentrations. Read more ...

Does Grain Need to be Processed?

The question does grain need to be processed, well grain is processed for a number of reasons. One of the key reasons why grain is processed is that it improves digestibility. The hull is a barrier, which is relatively impermeable to rumen microorganisms and digestive enzymes and must be broken by either processing or chewing, otherwise much of the useful nutrients in the grain will pass out in the manure. Animals vary with respect to their ability to break open the grain by chewing. Sheep, for example, chew more rapidly and have a smaller mouth than cattle, so whole grain can be used in their diet. Read more ...

Germany to set new standards for animal feed

After the dioxin scandal in Germany that triggered health alerts worldwide and shut down thousands of farms. The German cabinet has unveiled new rules to raise the standards in Germany's animal feed industry. "We want to make the food chain more secure," Germany's Food and Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner said Wednesday. "Boosting surveillance is a key part of this." Read more ...

India's aquaculture feed industry looks promising

"India's aquaculture feed industry is looking promising, but if it is to progress further then they need to go in for more species", said P.E. Vijay Anand, Technical Director, India Animal Feed Program, American Soybean Association International Marketing, on Monday. He also said on the second day of Aqua Aquaria 2011 "that India invariably relied on two species carps and pungasius, whereas China and Bangladesh had about 15 species. The dependence on lesser number of species meant more risk". Read more ...

Thai rice exports expected to drop by 50 percent

Thailand's rice exports are expected to drop by 50 percent from November to January, due to the state buying policy and because of the flood disruptions. Thailand implemented the rice-buying policy at guaranteed prices last month to lift rural incomes even as the worst floods since 1942 wreak damage on farms. Lower Thai exports may benefit Vietnam and India, the second and third largest shippers. “The state policy will cause rice exports to fall by a greater extent than the effect of the flooding,” said Chookiat, who’s traded the staple for about 40 years. Read more ...

China should enhance GM breeding experts suggest

During the food security forum held by Chinese Society of Agricultural Biotechnology (CSAB) in late October 2011, lots of grain experts showed their support to GM crops. "Among the papayas on the current market," said Luo Yunbo, Dean of Food Sciences and Nutrition Engineering College, China Agriculture University, "over 85 percent are of GM varieties; there probably would be no harvest at all, if we didn't plant GM papaya." Mr. Luo also believed that domestic consumers should feel fully comfortable to buy and eat the GM papayas on the market. Read more ...

Lower crop production may disturb food security

In Indonesia the lower production of key crops this year coupled with a global rice shortage could threaten food security and boost prices. Indonesia's rice production is forecast to slide 1.63 percent, dropping 1.08 million tons to 65.39 million tons this year over declines in farmland area and productivity, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced on Tuesday. "This is affecting our food security. Moreover, external developments are uncontrollable, for instance [flooding in] Thailand affects food supply not only for Indonesia but for the international market," said Latif Adam, an economist at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). Read more ...

Farmers in New Zealand face feed storage

Farmers in New Zealand, still have concerns over drought conditions as they move into what is traditionally their highest temperatures of the year. "It is dry, but the weather is more unsettled now", said Ruth Rainey, former Federated Farmers president, and spokeswoman for the trust. A recent drought committee meeting resolved to write in support of the letter to the Ministry of Agriculture, asking it to consider the area as one in drought. "I have spoken to some of you plus MAF's Phil Journeaux and at this stage have decided just to leave our letter of request for drought declaration on the MAF table but not to write a further letter endorsing it." Read more ...

Sorghum growers warned about a fungus

Sorghum growers are being warned about a fungus that could put feed stocks in danger of being useless. Ergot is an air-borne disease that flourishes in wet conditions and could strike crops planted in southern Queensland over the next few months. Dr Malcolm Ryley from the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation says late season crops are particularly vulnerable. "Really in southern Queensland planting sorghum from now on puts that sorghum at higher risk," he said. Read more ...

Farmers call to the European Union to lift ban on GM feeds

Farmers in the European Union are calling on the EU to relax its zero tolerance stand on genetically modified organisms (GMO's) in animal feeds. They argue that if the EU does not relax its stance on the level of genetically modified organisms allowed in animal feed, then due to the cost of feeds many farmers will be out of business. Copa-Cogeca also wants the EU to reduce its dependencies on imported soybean, and the EU to develop its own protein supply further. Read more ...

Rice output lower than expected for Indonesia

Unmilled rice production in Indonesia was 3.9 percent lower than expected at 65.39 million tons in 2011. The rice forecast for this year was below the previous expectation in July of 68.06 million tonnes in 2011, and is down also from the 66 million tonnes last year. Last week, the Indonesian trade minister said flood-hit Thailand may not be able to meet its rice export commitments to Indonesia. Indonesia is struggling to increase soybean production to stop its reliance on imported grains and aims to scrap imports by 2014, but domestic output has not increased significantly because of land constraints and low productivity. Read more ...

Another global threat as Food crisis looms

With the recent catastrophic floods in Thailand, the worlds leading rice exporter, are raising concerns that another food crisis could be around the corner. Another worry is that we could be in a new era where low food prices no longer exist. The Asian Development bank estimates that a ten percent increase in food prices could force another 64 million people into poverty. Read more ...