imports
Dry weather cuts grain crops 21 percent in southern Africa
An extended dry spell will slash the corn harvest in southern Africa by 26 percent from last year's bumper harvest, according to a quarterly FAO report. Corn is the major grain in the region, accounting for 80 percent of cereal production.
Fewer food-insecure people now but conditions will worsen
There are fewer food-insecure people in the low- and middle-income nations of the world, about 475 million, or 46 million less than last year, says the government.
U.S. ban of raw Brazil beef imports in spotlight as Rousseff visits
Few major achievements are expected during a fence-mending visit by Brazil president Dilma Rousseff to the United States this week, including a bilateral meeting with President Obama on Tuesday, says McClatchy.
Russia extends ban on Western food to January
In a tit-for-tat move, Russia extended for six months - until January - its ban on imports of food from Europe and the United States, says Channel NewsAsia.
Japan lowers its target for food self-sufficiency
Japan, the largest Asian importer of corn, beef and pork, has lowered its target for food self-sufficiency to 45 percent by 2026 from the current 50 percent, said Bloomberg.
U.S. imports more textiles, less of them made of cotton
The U.S. cotton industry promotes the crop as "the fabric of our lives," yet synthetics account for a growing share of imported textiles and apparel.
Deal with Mexico is cushion against sugar subsidy costs
The agreement by Mexico to limit its shipments of sugar to the U.S. market will reduce the chances of sugar program costs, says the think tank Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute.
U.S. allows imports from private businesses in Cuba
The Obama administration "opened the door for Cuba's small-business community to export goods and services" to U.S. customers, says Politico.
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.
Recession slowed cattle imports, not labeling rules-Report
The slow economic recovery from recession is to blame for a downturn in U.S. cattle imports, not the requirement to put labels on meat packages that list where cattle, hogs and chickens were born, raised and slaughtered, says a study by an Auburn U economist.
Canada more recalcitrant than Japan on trade, says Vilsack
Canada "has not stepped up" in negotiations for the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. He singled out Ottawa when asked if Japan should be dropped from the discussions because of unwillingness to open its agricultural markets to imports. The question, during a meeting of the CFTC's agricultural advisory committee, came from Paul Penner of the National Association of Wheat Growers.
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.
Local farms gain attention after Russia bans food imports
One result of Russia's ban on food imports from Europe and the United States is a surge in interest in domestic food producers, especially organic farms, says the New York Times in a story from Moscow.
US ag exports to TPP bloc up 5 percent if trade barriers fall
U.S. agricultural exports to the 12 nations involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks would rise by 5 percent over a decade if all agricultural tariffs and tariff-rate qoutas were eliminated, says USDA's Economic Research Service.
Syngenta says it won’t back down in GE corn squabble
Seed company Syngenta says it acted responsibly in selling two strains of genetically engineered corn that are approved for cultivation in the United States although not allowed for import by China, says DTN.
Bakers protest, growers applaud US-Mexico sugar deal
The American Bakers Association says a tentative U.S.-Mexico agreement to control imports of sugar from Mexico "is not good for bakers or all other users of sugar," says Baking Business.
WTO rules for US over India’s livestock trade rules
The World Trade Organization agreed with U.S. complaints and ruled that India's restrictions on imports of hogs, poultry meat and chicken eggs violate world trade rules.
World cotton prices are lowest in five years
With China scaling back on its imports of cotton, world prices "dipped below 70 cents in early October, a level not seen in five years," said USDA, forecasting a 6 percent cent increase in global cotton stocks this marketing year.