The government of Mozambique is ceding 6 million hectares [pt] of land to Brazilian farmers (this corresponds to two-thirds of the landmass of Portugal) to grow soy, cotton and corn in the northern provinces Niassa, Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Zambézia. The idea is to draw on the Brazilian experience in the Cerrado (Brazil’s savanna), where […]
Drought dries up reservoirs, rivers in SW China
30/08/2011 by
GUIYANG – A severe drought in southwest China has dried up hundreds of reservoirs and rivers, devastated farm fields and made drinking water scarce, local authorities said. The drought, which has lasted since early July, has dried up 479 reservoirs and 349 rivers in Guizhou province, the provincial flood control and drought relief
Regional experts vow to transform agricultural sector
30/08/2011 by
African agricultural experts meeting in Kigali have promised to promote the Integrated Agriculture Research for Development (IAR4D) strategy in transforming agriculture in the region. The forum that drew participants from Tanzania, Sudan, DRC, Uganda, Kenya, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Burundi, Eritrea and
Disruptions to Food Supply to ‘Ratchet Up Prices,’ Olam’s Verghese Says
30/08/2011 by
Global food costs will remain elevated because a potential slowdown in economic growth is unlikely to hurt demand and weather-related disruptions to supply could “ratchet up prices,” Olam International Ltd. (OLAM) said. Combined global inventories of wheat,
U.N. warns on mutant strain of bird flu virus
30/08/2011 by
The United Nations warned Monday of a possible resurgence of the deadly avian flu virus, saying there are indications a mutant strain may be spreading in Asia. A variant strain of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, which can apparently bypass the defenses of current vaccines with unpredictable risks to humans, has appeared in Vietnam and […]
Quarantine inspectors stop New Zealand apple shipments
30/08/2011 by
A NEW Zealand apple grower has been caught trying to send banned waste from apple trees to Australia days after the trans-Tasman market reopened. The load was stopped by Biosecurity Australia on a final inspection in New Zealand before being airfreighted to Australia. The incident has infuriated
Polish ag-minister wants GMOs out of Europe
30/08/2011 by
Poland’s minister of agriculture is confusing the country’s political opinion on genetically modified crops by demanding a European-wide ban on GMO. “We are now proposing to completely prohibit not only the cultivation of GM plants, but also imports of feed and food that is genetically modified,” Minister Marek Sawicki told TVP public television. “And not […]
FAO promotes the creation of micro-seed in Central America
30/08/2011 by
Panama City. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched the project “Seeds for Development”, which aims to encourage the creation of rural enterprises in Central America. The plan expects to assist 12,000 families that are small producers of grains like corn, beans, sorghum and rice in Central America, the majority of these will […]
Guacamole, High Pressure Processing
30/08/2011 by
MEXICO CITY (Manufacturing) – A consumer in New Zealand uncovers the transparent container and serves up a portion of Mexican guacamole. All this has been made possible by the advantages of high pressurized food processing, a method that has been instrumental in the building several successful
Mandarin Oranges represent 5% of Peruvian Exports
29/08/2011 by
The Exporters Association (Adex) reported that exports of tangerines rose 29 percent, representing 22.9 million dollars in the first quarter of the year, compared with the same period in 2010. Peruvian Mandarins represented five percent of Peruvian exports of fruits which totaled 432.9 million dollars.