World Agriculture
Developments, trade, data, and topics in world agriculture
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(Canada) China launches anti-dumping investigation against Canadian rapeseedThe Ministry of Commerce of China issued Announcement No. 37 of 2024 on September 9, deciding to initiate an anti-dumping investigation on imported rapeseed originating in Canada. The case was filed by the Ministry of Commerce according to its functions and powers. The dumping investigation period is from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023, and the industrial damage investigation period is from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2023. The products involved in the case are classified as 12051090, 12059090 and other tariff numbers. this case is directly related to the escalation of sino-canadian economic and trade friction. On August 26, Canada announced that it would impose a 100 per cent surcharge on Chinese-made electric vehicles from October 1 and a 25 per cent surcharge on Huagang aluminum products from October 15. China has previously made it clear that it will take all necessary measures to safeguard the rights and interests of its enterprises. Rapeseed is one of the most important field crops in Canada, with an annual planting area of more than 21 million acres. The annual output value of the whole industry chain is about 43.7 billion Canadian dollars, supporting about 200000 jobs. China has long been the largest export market for Canadian rapeseed. Canadian industry players are worried about losing the Chinese market. Industry organizations such as the Canadian Rapeseed Council called on the two sides to resolve their differences through dialogue. Analysts pointed out that the direction of the rapeseed case depends on the overall situation of China-Canada and even China-EU economic and trade frictions. Referring to the previous treatment path of Australian barley and wine "double reverse" measures, there is still room for the two sides to reach a solution through consultation during the investigation period. If the friction continues, Canadian farmers may speed up their search for alternative markets such as the European Union and Japan. Source: China's Ministry of Commerce Announcement No. 37, 2024; Reuters; Global Affairs Canada, September 2024.
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(Japan) Japan's "rice shortage", new rice prices hit a 20-year highSince mid-to-late August, supermarkets in many places in Japan have been out of stock and restricted in purchase of rice, and the "rice turmoil" has become a national topic. Since July, some brands of rice have taken the lead in cutting off their supplies. On August 8, after the Japan Meteorological Agency released a report on the huge earthquake in the South China Sea Trough, the tide of rice hoarding further spread, with large areas of rice shelves in Tokyo, Osaka and other places vacant. The tight supply is the result of the superposition of many factors: the production of rice in 2023 will be reduced due to the intense heat and the quality will decline; The price of rice rose moderately compared with that of alternative staple foods such as bread, and the demand for household rice rose for the first time in ten years. At the end of June, the stock of rice in circulation dropped to 1.56 million tons, the lowest since statistics were available. The surge in tourists visiting Japan also continued to push up the demand for rice for catering. In terms of price, the new rice produced in 2024 will be listed soon, and the predicted price of new rice in the main producing areas will rise by 20% to 40% year-on-year; in July, the Japanese rice consumer price index rose by 17.2 year-on-year, a new high of about 20 years. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries had previously decided not to put in government reserve rice on the grounds that the new rice would be listed in September and would disturb the market at this time. This statement caused controversy in Japan. Although the annual consumption of rice in Japan has shown a long-term downward trend, the "rice shortage" has exposed its vulnerability to extreme weather, inventory management and changes in demand structure. The market is concerned about whether rice prices can stabilize after the large-scale listing of new rice in September, and whether the reserve rice delivery system needs to be adjusted. Source: Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Kyodo News; USDA FAS, August 2024.
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(EU) China launches anti-dumping investigation against EU pork and pig by-productsThe Ministry of Commerce of China issued Announcement No. 23 of 2024 on June 17, deciding to initiate an anti-dumping investigation on imports of related pork and pig by-products originating in the European Union. This case should be filed on the basis of the application submitted by the China Animal Husbandry Association on behalf of the domestic industry. The dumping investigation period is from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023, and the industry injury investigation period is from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2023. The products under investigation include fresh, cold and frozen pork, edible pig offal, fat pork, pig fat and pig casings and other by-products, involving multiple tariff numbers. The EU is an important source of imports of pork and pig by-products from China, while Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands are the main exporters to China. The timing of the launch of the case has attracted much attention: the European Union is launching a countervailing investigation into Chinese electric vehicles and is planning to impose tariffs, and public opinion generally regards the pork case as part of China's corresponding countermeasures. Spain is the largest pork exporter to China within the European Union, and the local industry has expressed concerns about losing the Chinese market. According to the procedure, anti-dumping investigations should generally be completed within one year after the filing of the case, and can be extended for six months under special circumstances. The industry believes that the trend of the investigation is closely related to the evolution of the EU's measures on China's electric vehicles, and the progress of China EU economic and trade consultations will directly affect the final handling of the case. Source: China Ministry of Commerce Announcement No. 23, 2024; Reuters, June 17, 2024.
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(Australia) China ends anti-dumping duties on Australian winesThe Ministry of Commerce of China issued Announcement No. 11 of 2024 on March 28. In view of the changes in the relevant wine market in China, it has decided to terminate the imposition of anti-dumping duties on imported wines originating in Australia from March 29, and terminate the anti-dumping duties. Countervailing duties will no longer be levied. The wine trade dispute between China and Australia, which lasted for more than three years, was officially settled. From March 28, 2021, China will impose anti-dumping duties of 116.2-218.4 per cent on imported wine originating in Australia for a period of five years. Affected by this, Australian wine exports to China fell off a cliff, and China once fell out of the forefront from the largest export market of Australian wine. On November 30, 2023, the Ministry of Commerce initiated a review of the case at the request of the Australian Vine and Wine Association; this week, China and Australia notified the Dispute Settlement Body of the mutually agreed solution to the WTO dispute (DS602). Public opinion generally regards this move as another landmark node in the improvement of Sino-Australian economic and trade relations after the abolition of barley tariffs in August last year. The Australian wine industry has high expectations for a return to the Chinese market-China once accounted for nearly 40% of the value of Australian wine exports before tax. However, some analysts pointed out that the overall consumption of Chinese wine has shrunk significantly in the past three years, and supplier countries such as Chile and France have filled the market gap. Australian wine's return to the Chinese market still needs to face the re-competition of prices and channels. Source: China Ministry of Commerce Announcement No. 11, 2024; Xinhua News Agency; Wine Australia, March 2024.
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(EU) European Parliament adopts negotiating position on new rules for gene-edited cropsOn February 7, the European Parliament passed its negotiating position on the proposal of the new genome technology (NGT) regulation by 307 votes in favor, 263 votes against and 41 abstentions. The EU gene editing crop regulatory framework reform has taken a key step, but the dispute over labeling and patent issues will still run through the follow-up legislative process. The draft regulation proposed by the European Commission in July 2023 intends to differentiate gene editing and other new genome technology crops from traditional genetically modified organisms: "Class 1 NGT" equivalent to conventional varieties and with no more than 20 genetic differences will be exempted from the risk assessment, labeling and traceability requirements under the genetically modified regulations; "Class 2 NGT" still applies to the current genetically modified rules; All NGT products shall not be used in organic agriculture. This time, the European Parliament has added its position while maintaining the two classification frameworks: mandatory labeling of all NGT products and the establishment of a public registry, and a total ban on patents for NGT technologies. Industrial organizations such as the European Seed Association and Copa-Cogeca support the reform, believing that the new rules will help the EU breeding industry narrow the gap with the United States, Canada, Japan, etc., while organic agriculture and environmental groups have warned that deregulation will exacerbate the patent monopoly of large seed companies and impact the organic sector. The next step is for the European Parliament to start tripartite negotiations with the Council of the European Union. The Board has repeatedly failed to agree on a negotiating mandate, with some member states opposing the imposition of labeling obligations on Category 1 NGTs and others having reservations about the scientific basis for threshold setting. The EU seed industry expects the new regulations to be implemented as soon as possible so as not to continue to lag behind other major agricultural exporting countries in the biotechnology breeding competition. Sources: European Parliament press release; European Commission COM(2023) Proposition 411; USDA FAS, February 2024.
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(Australia) China ends double anti-tariff on Australian barleyThe Ministry of Commerce of China issued Announcement No. 29 of 2023 on August 4, reexamining and ruling that it is no longer necessary to continue the implementation of trade remedy measures related to imported barley originating in Australia. The Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council decided to terminate the imposition of anti-dumping duties and countervailing duties on Australian barley from August 5. The implementation of more than three years of Australian barley against China's "double anti" measures officially ended. From 19 May 2020, China imposed a 73.6 per cent anti-dumping duty and a 6.9 per cent countervailing duty on imports of barley originating in Australia, for a total of 80.5 per cent, for a period of five years. As a result, Australian barley basically withdrew from the Chinese market: in 2018-19 before the levy, Australian barley exports to China were about A $0.916 billion; Australia estimates that tariffs cause about US $1 billion a year to the Australian barley industry. In March this year, the China Liquor Industry Association filed an application for review, and the Ministry of Commerce filed a case for review on April 15. Australia suspended its dispute litigation in the WTO (DS598 case) during the same period. The Ministry of Commerce reviewed and determined that the situation in China's barley market has changed and it is no longer necessary to continue taxation. The Australian side welcomed the ruling, which Australian Trade Minister Farrell called a positive step in the economic and trade relations between the two countries. Analysts believe that the abolition of barley tariffs provides a reference for the treatment of other items of Sino-Australian economic and trade frictions, and the trend of relevant measures for Australian wine and other products is worthy of attention; for the domestic beer and barley import industry, the diversification of import sources will also expand accordingly. Source: China Ministry of Commerce Announcement No. 29, 2023; Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Statement; People's Daily Online, August 4, 2023.
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(India) India bans non-Basmati white rice exports, global rice prices rise to 12-year highIndia's Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued a circular on July 20 banning the export of non-non-basmati white rice from now on. India has imposed a 20% export tariff on the category since September 2022 and imposed export restrictions on broken rice. India is the world's largest rice exporter, exporting 22.03 million tons of rice in 2021/22, accounting for about 40% of the global rice trade. This tightening has rapidly pushed up international rice prices. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) rice price index rose to 129.7 points in July, the highest since September 2011, up 19.7 per cent from a year earlier. The ban mainly hits African countries, Bangladesh, Malaysia and other importing countries that are highly dependent on India's white and broken rice; countries such as Senegal have traditionally been the largest buyers of India's broken rice. For China, India has been the largest source of rice imports in recent years: in 2022, China imported 2.18 million tons of rice from India, accounting for 35.2 per cent of China's rice imports, of which about 2.02 million tons were broken. The market expects that after the ban, China's rice imports will shift more to markets such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Pakistan, and import costs tend to rise; however, rice imports account for only about 2% of China's rice production, and the direct impact on the domestic staple food market is limited. The Indian government explained that the restrictions were aimed at safeguarding domestic supply and stabilizing domestic rice prices. India's rice export policy has continued to tighten since 2022, and the protectionist tendencies of the global rice trade have raised concerns among importing countries, and the international community is watching whether India will adjust its policy in the subsequent crop season. Source: DGFT Circular; Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO);USDA FAS; Reuters, July 2023.
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(Russia) Russia announces no further extension of Black Sea grain shipment agreementOn July 17, Russia formally notified Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations Secretariat not to extend the "Black Sea Food Initiative" that expired on that day ". Kremlin spokesman Peskov confirmed that the agreement had expired on the same day and said that Russia was willing to resume implementation immediately after the agreement involving Russia was implemented. The agreement was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July 2022 to open up Ukraine's Black Sea food transport channel in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. According to United Nations data, during the one-year operation of the agreement, Ukraine transported about 32.8 million tons of grain through the Black Sea Corridor, of which about 12.4 million tons were shipped to EU countries and 9.9 million tons to Turkey, which played an important role in stabilizing the global food market. After the news of the suspension of the agreement came out, the international wheat futures price rose for a time. The Russian side has repeatedly threatened to withdraw, with conditions including the re-access of the Agricultural Bank of Russia to the SWIFT system, the lifting of logistics and insurance restrictions on Russian food and fertilizer exports, and the resumption of the operation of the Togriati-Odessa liquid ammonia pipeline. Russia has been complaining that the agreement "only takes care of Ukraine" and that its food and fertilizer exports still face obstacles in terms of payment, shipping and insurance. The Black Sea Food Initiative is regarded as the most important food security arrangement since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and its trend is directly related to the countries of North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia that depend on the food source of the Black Sea. The United Nations said it would continue to communicate with all parties, while the market was concerned about the alternative capacity of Ukrainian food exports through the Danube ports and land routes. Source: UN Black Sea Food Initiative Bulletin; RIA Novosti; Reuters; EFE, 17 July 2023.
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Good Book Recommendation: Contemporary World Agriculture SeriesThe Contemporary World Agriculture Series adheres to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, implements General Secretary Jinping's important expositions on the "three rural" work, and better serves the national food security, the construction of a powerful agricultural country, and the "Belt and Road". Construction and agriculture "going out", expand agricultural foreign exchanges and cooperation, provide intellectual support for government departments, agricultural enterprises and scientific research personnel to understand the situation of foreign agriculture, learn from foreign agricultural development experience, and interpret the achievements and experience of China's agricultural modernization.
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Experience and Reference of Agricultural and Rural Modernization in Developed CountriesExperience and Reference of Agricultural and Rural Modernization in Developed Countries hu Glacier in the process of agricultural and rural modernization, there are common factors and consistent characteristics. Combing the process of agricultural and rural modernization in developed countries, especially, compared with the agricultural and rural development in developed countries since the 1960 s, it can be observed that great changes have taken place in the mode of agricultural production, the supply of agricultural products, the progress of agricultural technology and the form of rural living. By comparing the experience of developed countries, it is not difficult to find that the existing urban-rural integration development is still based on the artificial construction of the traditional dual perspective, and the future modernization path is more inclined to the unified endogenous evolution. Obviously, people who live in the "countryside" are not necessarily "farmers". China is in the transition stage to a high-income country. It is particularly important to learn from the development experience of agricultural and rural modernization in developed countries, summarize the enlightenment of agricultural specialization, urban-rural integration development, agricultural support and protection, and explore the endogenous evolution path suitable for China's development.
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Saudi Arabia triples overseas agricultural investmentSaudi Arabia triples overseas agricultural investment Saudi Arabia triples agriculture investments abroad Abu Dhabi: Saudi Arabia's Agricultural Development Fund loans have grown by 300 per cent since 2016 to be worth more than 3.7 billion riyals, a senior official said. Munir bin Fahd Al Sahli, Director General of the Agricultural Development Fund, said part of the fund's investments abroad was to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, expecting that the fund will continue to support the agricultural sector in full coordination with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and the National Development Fund to support the food security strategy in the Kingdom. While the programme to support Saudi investments abroad aims to diversify and stabilise sources of foreign food supplies as part of the Kingdom's food security initiative, and covers projects that produce eight basic crops, the investment portfolio of the Agricultural Development Fund abroad amounted to one billion riyals, an increase of about 55 per cent over its value in 2019, which amounted to 644 million riyals during the first year of the programme. Investments also more than tripled, as the fund began supporting Saudi investments abroad with 284.25 million riyals. First year The first for the foreign agricultural investment programme saw the approval of loans totaling 644 million Saudi riyals, with the aim of growing and supplying barley, wheat, corn, oilseeds, and soybeans from Ukraine, in addition to approving a project for one of the national companies specialised in agricultural investment and animal production in Sudan. New projects The fund has started supporting Saudi investments abroad with amounts of $75 million, on the condition that at least 50 per cent of the project's crops be exported to the Kingdom, as the loan will cover up to 60 per cent of the project's value. The loan provided by the fund ranges from $25 to $75 million that includes new projects, in addition to expanding existing projects. The fund stipulated that at least 50 per cent of the company requesting the loan be owned by a Saudi citizen, and that the company be registered in the Kingdom. Original source: Gulf News published: 2021-2-8 | Editor: Xie Jinli
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World Bank, EU ready to provide technical support for Ukraine to launch arable land reformWorld Bank, EU ready to provide technical support for Ukraine to launch arable land reform World Bank, EU ready to provide technical support for Ukraine to launch farmland reform A roadmap for further joint work within the Land Reform Steering Committee is expected to be finalized in early February. The World Bank and the European Union stand ready to provide technical support and other resources for Ukraine to successfully implement farmland reform. This was stated by Klaus Deininger, Lead Economist in the Sustainability and Infrastructure Team of the Development Research Group at the World Bank, according to Ukraine's Ministry for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture. In his words, Ukraine has all the prerequisites for the introduction of a transparent farmland market, which will increase the efficiency of the use of land resources, provide a basis for the development of agriculture, rural areas and the local population. Ukraine's Deputy Minister for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture Taras Vysotskyi, in turn, said that the introduction of the farmland market and the provision of all the necessary tools for its successful operation remains a priority for the government of Ukraine for 2021. "All the priorities of the Ukrainian government regarding the further implementation of the land reform remain operative in 2021, because in six months the farmland market will be launched. It is important for us to provide all the necessary prerequisites for the successful launch of the farmland market and its further operation," he said. In particular, these are the development and implementation of farmland legislation, the introduction of land deregulation, the transfer of land management powers to local communities, the introduction of a system of e-auctions, land monitoring. A roadmap for further joint work within the Land Reform Steering Committee is expected to be finalized in early February. Farmland reform in Ukraine: Facts in brief On April 28, 2020, President Volodymyr Zelensky enacted the law on amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine on agricultural land to launch the farmland market in Ukraine from July 1, 2021. The law provides for a gradual land reform: only citizens of Ukraine will be able to buy agricultural land with a limit of 100 hectares per individual as of July 1, 2021. At the second stage, as of January 1, 2024, land concentration will increase to 10,000 hectares, and legal entities will also be allowed to acquire farmland. In June 2020, President Zelensky said Ukraine would lift farmland purchase restrictions only after Ukrainian farmers were given access to low-interest loans for that purpose. On October 15, 2020, Zelensky signed a decree on the transfer of agricultural land from state to municipal ownership. On the same day, State Geocadastre head Roman Leshchenko said that about 750,000 hectares of land would remain in state ownership after the transfer of more than 2 million hectares of agricultural land to municipal ownership under the presidential decree. On November 9, 2020, the Cabinet of Ministers proposed new methods be introduced to evaluate farmland. On November 10, 2020, Deputy Minister for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture Taras Vysotskyi announced that the government would allocate UAH 500 million (US$17.8 million) in the 2021 budget for the first stage of the farmland reform. On November 11, 2020, the Cabinet of Ministers improved control over the concentration of agricultural land in the ownership of one person. On November 17, 2020, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a decree on the transfer of farmland to territorial communities. Original source: UNIAN published: 2021-2-8 | Editor: Xie Jinli
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(Australia) Why some states 1/4 farmland that is owned by foreigners-and China holds the most(Australia) Why some states 1/4 farmland that is owned by foreigners-and China holds the most How one quarter of the farmland in some states is foreign owned - and China holds by far the most Foreign ownership of farmland in some states has surged to as high as 25 per cent as China maintains its position as Australia's most powerful foreign investor. Overseas investment has soared on the east coast with foreign holdings now owning 26.2 per cent of farmland in Tasmania, according to new Australian Taxation Office data. The proportion of foreign-owned agricultural land in the Northern Territory has also reached 25 per cent, with WA coming in third at 17 per cent. Foreign holdings increased by 3.4 per cent in Victoria and four per cent in New South Wales and the ACT - where more than 2.6million hectares of agricultural land is owned by an overseas company. US investors bought the most Australian farmland in the year to June 30 but Chinese companies now own 9.2million hectares - the most out of any foreign nation. British investors are the second most powerful owners in Australian agriculture with holdings equal to 8.17million hectares. The report comes amid a worsening trade war between China and Australia as the Asian superpower slaps increasingly punitive tariffs on Aussie produce. Last month, Beijing blocked Australian exports including coal and seafood before slapping a 212 per cent tariff on Aussie wine, effectively banning the product. The Chinese Embassy in Canberra has also released a dossier of 14 grievances including claims Australia is 'siding with the US', interfering in its affairs in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Rural property expert Col Medway said farmland was a prized asset for foreign buyers and allowed them to double their investment every 10 years. 'It's a very good return in this low-yielding environment we are currently experiencing,' he told The Australian. 'On top of that you've got the rent they receive. Some of these investors are not active - they own the land and rent it to an operator .' In June, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced foreign investment laws in Australia would be completely overhauled to protect the country's national security. From January 1 next year any foreign bid deemed to be from a 'sensitive national security business' will be vetted by the Foreign Investment Review Board. Previously, bids from private investors were only vetted if the asset was worth more than $275million. Mr Frydenberg said industries deemed 'sensitive' would include energy, telecommunications, utilities, defence and security. 'These are the most significant reforms in nearly 50 years and we hope of getting bipartisan support for them,' Mr Frydenberg said. Under the new system, the thresholds will remain the same for foreign bids for non-sensitive businesses. The treasurer will also gain powers to force a foreign owner to sell if national security concerns arise. Original source: Daily Mail published: 2021-1-12 | Responsible Editor: Xie Jinli
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(Australia) Farmland investment returns as high as 12%, but tensions with China are worrying(Australia) Farmland investment returns as high as 12%, but tensions with China are worrying Farmland investing pays solid 12pc return, but China tensions niggle Bullish returns from farmland investments are likely to falter in 2021 because of Australia's increasingly prickly trade relationship with our huge agricultural export customer, China. However, the tensions are not expected to have long term impacts or undermine the strong sentiment towards investing in rural property, says corporate scale farm manager Argyle Capital Partners. Argyle, which manages about $800 million in rural water and farming assets, is one of the investment groups whose property portfolio is monitored as part of the Australian Farmland Index. The index of managed farmland investments worth about $1.2b, posted strong annualised returns of 12.3 per cent in the third quarter of last year, although the results were down from almost 14.4pc a year earlier. While annualised income was up more than one percentage point to 7.07pc for the year, capital growth dropped from 8pc in September 2019 to about 5pc in 2020. For the past five years annualised returns have averaged 13.7pc - down slightly on a year ago. However, volatility in the agricultural index over the period was just 6.3pc. "The risk return profile reflected in the farmland index compares very favourably to Australian equity market investments," noted Argyle Capital Partners in commentary accompanying the latest index results. "The index suggests patient investors are well compensated for the relative illiquidity of farmland investments ." China syndrome However, the fund management group said the farm sector had been impacted by "arbitrary, punitive tariffs and other trade bans imposed by China on Australian exports, despite a bilateral free trade agreement in place since 2015 ". To varying degrees barley, wine, beef, lamb, cotton, fresh seafood and fresh produce exports had all been affected. "In the short term we anticipate the China trade imbroglio will impact farmgate commodity prices in some sectors, and may marginally dampen farmland revenues in the year ahead," Argyle's commentators noted. "However, we do not expect any long term impacts or negative sentiment towards Australian farmland investments ." Argyle's researchers noted Australian farm sector exporters had proven resilient and ingenious in dealing with market shifts in past decades and were now expected to increasingly focus on other export opportunities in Asia and the Middle East. Robust appetite for ag Director of research at the Asian Association for Investors in Non-Listed Real Estate Vehicles (ANREV) Amelie Delaunay said Australian farmland investments reflected robust investment appetite in the asset class. Farmland investing had a low correlation with traditional investment markets and was being supported by current low interest rates. ANREV, based in Hong Kong, has just taken over calculating the farmland index after it was established under the auspices of a similar US-based not-for-profit body NCRIEF. "The index raises the importance of agriculture as an investable asset class and delivers essential transparency to institutional investors," Ms Delaunay said. "It provides quality information to professional investors on institutional grade agriculture assets, allowing them to fully assess the sector from an income and capital return basis compared with other investment classes ." According to the latest index reading, growth in asset valuations for the September quarter saw a rise in quarterly capital growth to 1.56pc for the three months, compared with 1.32pc in June and just 0.37pc a year earlier. However, despite much improved seasonal conditions and surging livestock values in 2020, latest quarterly income returns from agricultural assets slipped to less than 0.5pc from about 1.5pc in June and 2.1pc a year ago. Export commodity prices could continue to reflect trade disruption pressures this year, but Argyle noted how rainfall had revived south eastern Australia's production capacity, also bringing irrigation water costs down to long term average values. The ANREV farmland index tracks the income and capital appreciation performance of 42 different properties managed by some of Australia's major agricultural asset managers, of which 72pc by value were permanent horticultural crops and 28pc were annual farmland assets. Original source: Country Life published: 2021-1-12 | Responsible Editor: Xie Jinli
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Zambian expert calls on China to invest more to boost agricultural exportsZambian expert calls on China to invest more to boost agricultural exports Zambian expert calls for more Chinese investment to boost agricultural export LUSAKA, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Zambian agriculture expert says there is need for more Chinese investment into Zambia's agriculture sector in order to help boost the country's economy and promote agricultural innovation. Having more Chinese investors investing in Zambia's agricultural export industry would not only lead to increased production but also help propel small-scale farmers' growth and increase the country's foreign earnings, said Christopher Kapembwa, an agronomist from the Zambia Institute of Agriculture. He said a number of Chinese firms have invested in large-scale crop and livestock production in Zambia and he would like to see more Chinese investments in Zambia's agriculture export trade. "Let us take advantage of Chinese investors that have invested in the agriculture sector and encourage them to produce more for export. It would also be good to form partnerships with the Chinese because they are hardworking," he said. Kapembwa also emphasized the need for developing countries to venture into agriculture for development, stating that it is one sure way of countering high poverty levels and stressed the need for policies that support export agriculture. He said much of the agriculture production in Africa and Zambia in particular has for a long time been centred on producing for local markets, a situation that according to him has hindered growth and expansion. "Agriculture for development entails among other things growing produce that can be easily exported so as to enable the country to earn foreign exchange. But first, we need to improve on the standards in terms of the way the crops are produced, processed and distributed," Kapembwa said. Original source: Xinhua published: 2020-11-12 | Editor: Xie Jinli
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Chinese and Zimbabwean agricultural firms undertake ambitious $25 million agricultural projectChinese and Zimbabwean agricultural firms undertake ambitious $25 million agricultural project China and Zimbabwe Agricultural Company undertake ambitious US$ 2.5 agri project Aiming to help Zimbabwe's government to revamp the nation's agricultural sector, the China and Zimbabwe Agricultural Company has started an ambitious US$ 2,5 million seed breeding project in Mazowe. The investment was made through the China Industrial International Group, the parent company of the China and Zimbabwe Agricultural Company. China Industrial International Group chief executive Nie Haiyang stated that the seed breeding base in Mazowe would start with citrus production: "The seed breeding base in Mazowe is targeting an estimated one million seedlings per year”, adding that they were targeting to distribute five million trees seedlings in the next five years, adding that a minimum of 3,000 hectares had been earmarked for the project. Under the project, apples, grapes, bananas, peaches and pears would be grown by local farmers under contract farming. The project is expected to see Zimbabwe generate foreign currency as the local farmers' produce would be exported to China. Also, the project should cascade into the southern African region, as China looks further afield to invest in the continent's agriculture to provide food for the Asian nation. Original source: Daily news published: 2020-11-12 | Editor: Xie Jinli