Agricultural productivity stagnant as world population grows
Farmers around the world are barely improving their productivity rates and creating the risk the world will not be able in coming years to provide sustainably food, livestock feed, fiber and biofuels for a growing world population, says the a report by Global Harvest Initiative. Its annual assessment says agricultural productivity is rising by 1.72 percent worldwide, trailing the 1.75 percent per year that it estimates is needed for the demands of 9.7 billion people in 2050.
Dry weather cuts Canadian wheat crop sharply from 2014
Canada, one of the five largest wheat growers and exporters of the world, faces a huge decline in wheat production this year, says the monthly World Agricultural Production report.
China’s cotton plantings plunge to record low
Cotton production is plummeting in China, the world's largest importer and consumer of the textile, says USDA.
EU corn and wheat crops falter in hot, dry weather
One of the world's agricultural giants, the European Union, is seeing its wheat and corn crops dwindle due to hot and dry weather that is lowering yields. In its World Agricultural Production report, the USDA lowered its forecast of the EU wheat crop by 2 percent and the corn crop by 3.5 percent from estimates made in early June.
Drought cuts South Africa corn crop by a quarter from 2014
Drought will limit South Africa's corn crop to 11.5 million tonnes, nearly one-quarter less than last year's harvest, the USDA says in its monthly WASDE report. "February dryness and periodic heat, particularly in the western and central growing regions," disrupted pollination and slashed the likely yield, according to the report. South Africa is an important regional supplier and often acts as an indicator of prospects in the southern part of the continent.
Brazil is forecast to reap a record-setting soybean crop
Brazil, No 2 to the United States as a soybean producer, will reap a record 95.5 million tonnes of the oilseed, forecasts USDA - 10 percent than its previous crop.
Drought cuts China corn crop, Europe has record harvest
Serious drought cut yields sharply on as much as 15 percent of corn land in China, second to the United States as the world's top producer, says USDA. It estimates the harvest at 214 million tonnes, down 8 million tonnes from estimates made before the brunt of the dry weather was felt.
A record corn crop in Europe means fewer imports
Like the United States, the European Union is reaping a record corn crop this year, says USDA, estimating the European crop at 71 million tonnes.
Russia to export record wheat tonnage
Russia's Ministry of Agriculture forecasts record wheat exports of up to 30 million tonnes in the ongoing 2014/15 marketing year, said the Itar-Tass news agency.