The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said on Thursday major investment needs to be made in developing world agriculture. The FAO says that with rapid population growth and changing diets, agricultural production will need to grow by 70% before 2050.
Rice stockpiles of the world’s five largest exporters are forecast to plunge by a third to the lowest level in five years, and below last year when prices surged to a record, according to Concepction Calpe, senior economist at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Chilean dairy farmers on Wednesday expressed satisfaction with the government’s decision to impose safeguards on powder milk (whole and skinned) and Gouda cheese from Argentina and Uruguay.
Brazil expects the coming 2009/2010 grains crop to reach 141.1 million tons, which represents an increase in the range of 2.9% to 4.8% over the 2008/09 record harvest of 135.16 million tons, according to the country’s National Supply Corportion, Conab.
Uruguay’s farmland dedicated to soy beans could establish a new expansion record this coming summer: 700.000 hectares. This included the 540.000 currently with wheat and other winter crops.
Hundreds of farmers protested Monday in Brussels to put pressure on European Union (EU) agriculture ministers meeting to discuss low milk prices. The talks came after weeks of protests across Europe, with farmers dumping milk stocks and withholding supplies at what they see as uneconomic prices.
Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner took the oath on Thursday to lawmaker Julian Dominguez at the helm of the newly created cabinet post of Minister of Agriculture, Fishing and Livestock, one of the more conflicting areas of her administration.
The United States Congress has agreed to provide 350 million US dollars to struggling dairy farmers following a compromise during negotiations on a 23.3 billion USD agriculture bill.
Argentina has officially created the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery and Food, which previously worked as a secretariat of the Production Ministry. The decision of the Kirchner couple administration to raise the status of the Agriculture Secretariat to a ministry comes amid tensions with farming leaders who are protesting the government's farming policies.
Argentine exports of refrigerated beef reached 34.923 tons in August equivalent to 131.2 million US dollars, according to official data provided by Senasa (Animal Health National Service).