China
FBI invoked national-security laws in GE seed theft
The government used national-security laws, commonly employed against spies and terror plots, to nip the theft of genetically engineered hybrid seed from Iowa cornfields, says the Des Moines Register.
China squeezes out other foreign buyers of U.S. soybeans
More than 1 billion bushels of U.S. soybeans are likely to be shipped to China during the current marketing year, say economists John Newton and Todd Keuthe of U-Illinois, who ask, "Are all our beans in one basket?"
With sorghum at a premium, who will plant more?
Thanks to strong demand from China, drought-hardy sorghum is selling for a higher price in the Plains than corn, which usually is the price leader, says David Widmar. The comparatively high price is likely to lead to larger plantings.
Vilsack asks China to scale back ban on U.S. poultry
During a 45-minute telephone call, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asked his Chinese counterpart to scale back the ban on imports of U.S. poultry imposed because of avian influenza in the western half of the country. Agriculture Minister Han Changfu demurred, saying Chinese law required a full-country ban, Vilsack told the North American Agricultural Journalists. "They will have a team come to the United States in the summer" to see firsthand U.S. biosecurity controls designed to spot outbreaks and prevent them from spreading.
“Bad” foods outpace good as diets change worldwide
Consumption of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables improved worldwide over the two decades ending in 2010, but "intake of unhealthy foods including processed meat and sweetened drinks" rose more rapidly, according to a study published in the journal Lancet Global Health.
China is top US ag export customer, although purchases dip
China "is expected to remain the largest destination for U.S. agricultural products for the fifth consecutive year" even though its purchases will drop by $2 billion, to $23.6 billion, this year, said the USDA's chief economist Robert Johansson at the Outlook Forum. China buys nearly one-fifth of U.S. farm exports. Canada is the No. 2 market at $21.8 billion, and Mexico is third at $18.7 billion, followed by Japan and Europe.
U.S. challenges China over export subsidies
The United States initiated consultations at the World Trade Organization over China's export subsidy system, announced U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. Consultations are the first step at WTO.
China takes cautious path on GE crops
A top Chinese agriculture official says the world's most populous nation will continue research into genetically engineered crops, and will assure the safety of the technology, Reuters reports.
U.S., China agree to open their borders to apple imports
China agreed to open its market to imports of all varieties of U.S.-grown apples, a step thatUSDA said could expand apple exports, worth $1 billion in 2013, by 10 percent.
US, China give priority to ag biotech regulation
At the end of annual trade consultations, officials from China and the United States say they will give attention to their approval processes for genetically engineered crops, said Reuters.
Ending dispute, China clears Syngenta GE corn for import
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack relayed word of Chinese approval Syngenta's MIR 162 corn variety, which has roiled corn sales for months and prompted dozens of lawsuits, says the Financial Times.
Murmurs of China action on Syngenta corn, no official word
Based on comments from industry officials, two news outlets said China has approved Syngenta's biotech MIR 162 corn but Reuters says there was no official word to the U.S. government.
Syngenta expects China to approve GE corn variety
Seed company Syngenta said it expects China will approve "in the near future" a genetically engineered corn variety that is at the root of a dispute over shipments of U.S. corn to the Asian giant, says Dow Jones.
China Tuna withdraws IPO after criticism of its methods
China Tuna Industry Group Holdings has withdrawn its application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to become a publicly traded company because of adverse publicity, says Undercurrent News.
China issues new five-year certificate for its GE rice
The world's largest rice grower and consumer, China, renewed the biosafety certificates for five additional years for two varieties of genetically engineered rice developed within the country, says Reuters.
Large cotton surplus, low prices are a multi-year problem
The world cotton surplus will top 21 million tonnes at the end of this marketing year, an 87 percent stocks-to-use ratio, says the International Cotton Advisory Council.
Record world soybean crop and China soy imports
World soybean production will hit a record 308 million tonnes this year, up 8 percent from the previous season and fractionally larger than an estimate made a month ago, said the International Grain Council. In its Grain Market Report, the IGC said "planting weather in South America was more favourable and, with potentially large 2014/15 outturns in Brazil and Argentina, as well as a bumper US harvest," peak soybean production was in the cards.
China among “least transparent” of ag import markets-USTR
Since joining the World Trade Organization 13 years ago, China has become the largest customer for U.S. farm exports, buying nearly $26 billion worth of goods in 2013.
Mexico to displace China as top corn importer
China will remain the leading importer of soybeans and cotton, but Mexico will be the world's largest corn importer for the rest of this decade, said the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute. The United States would be the top corn exporter despite increased competition from Brazil, said the University of Missouri think tank in updating its international marketing baseline.