World Agriculture
Developments, trade, data, and topics in world agriculture
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Analysis Forecast: Global Soybean Ending Stocks in 13/14 or DownAnalysis Forecast: Global Soybean Ending Stocks in 13/14 or Down 2014-04-08 9:31 Source: Master Boyi the U.S. Department of Agriculture will release its April supply and demand report on Wednesday (April 9). According to a Dow Jones survey of analysts from 13 industry institutions, analysts on average expect the report to show a global soybean ending inventory of 70.3 million tons in 2013/14, lower than the USDA's forecast of 70.64 million tons last month, but far higher than the last year's ending inventory of 57.79 million tons. Analysts' forecasts range from 68.9 million to 71.9 million tons. The farm futures magazine (Farm Futures) has the lowest forecast and the commodity company has the highest forecast.
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Reuters: Europe's stance on GMOs hinders EU-US trade pactEurope stand on GM hinders trade deal Posted Mar. 21st, 2014 BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe's reluctance to buy meat from cattle treated with hormones or genetically modified food from the United States has exposed an “enormous gulf” that threatens the world's biggest trade pact .? Talks to create a transatlantic pact encompassing almost half the world's economy have been proceeding for eight months, and divisions remain over opening up to each other's goods, rules governing the names of food and GM food .? “There is an enormous gulf be-tween the EU and U.S. positions," said Michael Dolan, a lobbyist for the U.S. Teamsters union, who rejected the idea that the European Union should be the only market to call Greek-style cheese “feta ."? He warned that a trade deal “is likely to be smaller, more modest than its ambition, because of so many intractable issues ."? Tensions over food, which have bedeviled many trade talks around the world, risk eroding already fragile public support for a deal that proponents say would increase economic growth by $100 billion a year on both sides of the Atlantic .? Negotiators aim to finalize a deal by the end of this year .? EU and U.S. negotiators holding a fourth round of talks in Brussels took the unusual step of not only receiving lobbyists but also letting in the media, mindful of the protests surrounding global trade talks in the 1990s .? EU ministers have warned that anti-globalization protesters could distort what little awareness there is about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks .? At risk is a pact creating a market of 800 million people where business could be done freely, building on the almost $3 billion of daily transatlantic trade in goods and services .? Difficulties over agriculture bode poorly for the talks because EU-U.S. negotiators are seeking a far more extensive agreement, going beyond farm goods to bring down barriers across all industries and businesses .? Even animal welfare is sensitive in a proposed accord that would see both sides recognize each other's standards to oil the wheels of commerce. Europeans said they consider U.S. animal slaughter standards to be far lower than in the EU .? Even without such issues, U.S. farmers complain that the farm trading relationship is unfairly skewed in Europe's favour .? The European Union exported $16.6 billion of farm goods to the U.S. in 2012, much more than the $9.9 billion that U.S. farmers sent to Europe, partly because of EU rules banning imports of GM food for human consumption .? “Our trade could be way bigger," said Douglas Nelson, an adviser for farm group CropLife America. ? Added Floyd Gaibler of the U.S. Grains Council: “The TTIP is a way to normalize trade with the European Union ."? However, barely a week goes by that EU trade commissioner Karel De Gucht says that European regulation of GM food will not change even if a deal is done with Washington .? The EU is also closed to U.S. beef from cattle raised with growth hormones. Some Europeans are worried about what impact GM crops and hormone beef might have on health and the environment.
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UK Raising Estimate of Wheat Imports in 2013/14UK Raising Estimate of Wheat Imports in 2013/14 2014-03-27 10:33 | source: China Grain Network | number of visits: 13 according to news from London on March 26, Britain raised its 2013/14 (July/June) wheat and corn import forecast on Wednesday, affected by the faster-than-expected pace of imports in the first few months of this year. According to the supply and demand report of the Home-Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA), the UK's wheat imports in 2013/14 are expected to reach 1.8 million tons, up from the previous estimate of 1.63 million tons. Imports surged in the first few months of the year as flour producers sought overseas supplies as UK wheat production hit its lowest level in more than a decade. However, the quality of wheat harvested in the UK in 2013 was better than the previous year, so a larger portion of the supply is suitable for flour producers to use to produce flour, and imports are now beginning to slow. "The price competitiveness of imported flour wheat has been a factor, especially in the northern part of the country," the HGCA said." britain imported a total of 2.94 million tons of wheat in 2012/13, so the latest estimate is still 39% lower than the previous year. The better quality of the wheat harvested last summer has prompted flour producers to switch to increasing their use of domestic wheat this year. Major problems with the quality of the wheat harvested in 2012 have led to a surge in the country's wheat imports in 2012/13. Britain's corn imports in 2013/14 are expected to be 2.01 million tons, up from 1.73 million tons expected in January. "Imports are expected to increase further in February/March, but are expected to decrease later in the year," the report said." britain imported 1.69 million tons of corn in 2012/13, and the latest forecast is still 19% higher than the previous year. The huge corn production in the United States last year led to a decline in corn prices and boosted demand for corn in the United Kingdom. UK corn imports climbed to 1.44 million tonnes in the first seven months of the current market year, up from 933,006 tonnes in the same period the previous year. (Source: Mandarin Finance)
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Increased area under rice cultivation in Argentina in 2013/14Increased area under rice cultivation in Argentina in 2013/14 2014-03-27 09:47 | source: China Grain Network | the results of a study conducted by the Argentine Rice Growers Association and the Argentine Grain Exchange show that the area of rice planted in Argentina will increase to 231,806 hectares in 2013/14, an increase of about 1.6 per cent over the previous year. The largest increase was in the area of rice planted in Santa Fe, which increased by about 10 per cent over the previous year to 48000 hectares. The main reason for the increase in rice planting area is the abundant water supply.
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UK agricultural land prices hit record highFarm land prices in the UK reach another record high Tuesday, 04 March 2014 Prices have jumped around 15% in the space of a year, according to the rural land market survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) which covers the second half of last year. During the second half of last year, the average cost of farmland rose to £7,754 per acre across England and Wales, hitting a record high for the ninth consecutive period. It means that the cost of land is now 14.3% higher than during the same period in 2012 when an acre cost, on average, just under £6,800. RICS says that the growth in prices has been driven by the on-going surge in demand from farmers looking to expand their operations, while the amount of land coming up for sale is continuing to lag well behind. However, the report points out that with many areas having been subject to severe flooding in recent weeks, it remains to be seen what impact this will have on the price and saleability of farm land in some areas. Despite remaining unchanged on the first half of the year, prices in the North West were the highest in Great Britain with the cost of an acre coming in at £8,813. Meanwhile, land north of the border, in Scotland, was the least expensive with an acre costing around £3,750. Looking ahead, chartered surveyors are predicting prices to continue to rise over the coming year, given the significant supply demand imbalance. 'That said, with floods having swept across the country, markets in the southern regions could well be significantly affected in terms of both transactions and prices,' they point out. 'Farm land price growth has been enormous in recent years. With commodity prices now having remained strong for some time, many farmers have been looking to expand their businesses and, with so little actually coming up for sale, competition for good land is fierce,' said Jeremy Blackburn, RICS head of UK policy. 'Although, with floods having devastated large swathes of southern England, what remains to be seen is the impact this has on the market in these areas and further afield. It will not be surprising to see this have a negative effect on transactions. In fact, a lot of the best quality and highest value agricultural land in the UK is located close to rivers and on floodplains so this too could potentially have an impact on food production,' he added.
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US wheat quarterly stocks expected to be 1.042 billion bushelsUSDA: U.S. wheat quarterly inventories expected to be 1.042 billion bushels 2014-03-27 09:53 | source: China Grain Network | the U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to release its quarterly inventory report next Monday, March 31, showing U.S. wheat stocks on March 1. A Reuters survey of analysts before the report showed that analysts on average expected all U.S. wheat inventories to be 1.042 billion bushels on March 1, lower than the same period last year. For comparison, U.S. wheat stocks were 1.463 billion bushels on December 1, 2013 and 1.23 billion bushels on March 1, 2013. (Source: Master Boyi)
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Canada lowers annual corn yield forecastCanada lowers annual production forecast 2014-03-27 09:28 | source: China Grain Network | ottawa, March 26: According to the outlook report of major field crops in March released by the Canadian Department of Agriculture and Agricultural Food (AAFC), Canada's corn output in 2014/15 (August to July of the following year) will be lower than that of the previous year due to the expected decline in sown area and average yield. The report shows that Canada's corn production in 2014/15 is expected to be 12.7 million tons, lower than the earlier forecast of 13.1 million tons and 11% lower than the 14.194 million tons in 2013/14. Canada's corn harvest area in 2014/15 is expected to be 1.385 million hectares, which is the same as the previous forecast and 6% lower than the previous year's 1.48 million hectares. Corn yield per hectare is expected to be 9.17 tons per hectare in 2014/15, down from 9.59 tons in the previous year. However, due to the record 3.4 million tons of inventory, Canada's corn supply will still reach 16.5 million tons in 2014/15, basically maintaining the level of the previous year. Canada's corn exports in 2014/15 are expected to be 1 million tons, the same as the previous forecast and the same as the previous year's exports. Domestic use is expected to be 12.4 million tons, down from an earlier forecast of 12.5 million tons, but still up 2 per cent from 12.139 million tons the previous year, mainly due to growth in ethanol production, industrial use and livestock farming. Canadian corn ending stocks in 2014/15 are expected to drop to 3.1 million tons, lower than the earlier forecast of 3.4 million tons and 9 percentage points lower than the previous year's 3.4 million tons, but it is still a very high inventory level. Canadian corn prices are expected to fall to C $140 to C $170 per ton in 2014/15, down from C $155-185 per ton in the previous year, mainly due to abundant global supply, especially in North America. (Source: Boyi Master)
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U.S. Farming: "Growing Discontent"Farming in America: 'There's a growing discontent' Mark Koba | @MarkKobaCNBC Sunday, 23 Mar 2014 | 11:00 AM ET CNBC. It's not easy being a farmer in the U.S. these days and it's bound to get harder, say those who should know. "There's a growing discontent among the farming community," said John Kempf, a fruit and vegetable farmer in northeast Ohio. "We have a farming model now that is antagonistic to the enjoyment of watching seeds grow and seeing a new born animal," said the 26-year-old Kempf, who is chief executive of Advancing Eco Agriculture, a farming and crop nutrition consulting company. Kempf cited issues like genetically modified organisms (GMOs), over-use of pesticides, a lack of water and soil conservation, the right way to manage livestock and climate change as key problems. "We are in need of changes in our system and production models," he said. The negative sentiments come at time that's meant to celebrate the American agriculture industry. National Agriculture Day on March 25 kicks off what is supposed to be week-long recognition of the American farmer. But some analysts say farming is at a major crossroads that masks any enjoyment. Professor Milt McGiffen, who researches sustainable agriculture at the University of California, Riverside, said American agriculture has a lot of problems, but mostly stemming from government regulation. "Farmers are scared over food and safety rules," he argued. "And there's government control over food prices. Farmers want government out of agriculture ." (Read more: Farm bill: Bring on the hemp and sushi rice!) Play Video Chef Bayless dishes on the restaurant business Chef Rick Bayless, discusses how the surge in prices is putting the "squeeze" on restaurateurs. GMO battle If one farming issue currently stands above any other-though just barely-it may be GMOs. In use since 1996, GMO seeds for crops like corn and soybeans are designed to be pesticide and disease resistant, while increasing nutritional and production value. (They are heavily restricted in Europe.) The battle over GMO use brings up health safety concerns, with pro-GMO forces saying no scientific evidence exists citing ill-effects, while anti-forces say not enough research on health concerns have been done. However, it's not the health debate but forcing the agriculture system into imbalance, which concerns Mark Spitznagel, chief investment officer of investment firm Universa Investments. He's also owner and operator of Idyll Farms in Northport, Mich. "GMOs and other artificial techniques may be short-term solutions to increasing yields, but they are distorting the natural process and will eventually lead to ruin," explained Spitznagel. "Agriculture is heading for a wall ." (Read more: Current commodity prices) At least one maker of GMO seeds, which include DuPont and Land O'Lakes in the U.S, stands by their product. "There has not been one single food safety issue," said Robb Fraley, executive vice president and chief technology officer of Monsanto, the largest producer in the world of GMO seeds. "We are very proud of our GMO technology and more than 90 percent of corn and soybean seeds in the U.S. are GMO," he said. As for claims that GMO promises of greater production have not been met, Fraley said American farmers are smart and wouldn't adapt to a technology that didn't have tangible benefits. (This past January, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Monsanto's claims to sue farmers whose fields are inadvertently contaminated with Monsanto GMO materials.) High tech farming Beyond GMOs, technology is sweeping through American agriculture. Farmers can monitor water and pesticide use with sensors in the fields. Tractor navigation has improved to allow automatic on and off systems for seeding. They can have single monitors tacking 10 different areas of plowing. And robotics are in line to replace crop pickers. It's grasping on to that type of innovation that is key to agriculture's future, explained Jim Loar, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Wilbur-Ellis, a maker of agriculture products. "Societal demands and the planet's health will require that the population is fed utilizing less resources and improved production practices," he said. "The embracing of technology in farming will need to happen in a dramatic way," argued John Hartnett, co-founder of the Steinbeck Innovation Foundation, a group dedicated to increasing technology use in agriculture. "Farmers need to be managing their data, whether its financial or their water and crop uses," he said. Hartnett added bigger farms are embracing technology, and that small farmers who avoid it do so at the risk of falling out of the industry. (Read more: New data will be key to gauging hog market bubble) Losing food supply? Of course, not everyone sees gloom and doom for U.S. agriculture. "It's doing well," said Helene Dillard, a professor of agricultural and environmental sciences at the University of California, Davis. "People are more conscious of eating good, safe food and this has raised public appreciation for farmers," she explained. Bruce Taylor, chief executive of fresh vegetable and fruit producer Taylor Farms, also sees daylight. 'We're seeing higher rents per acre for farm land and that's a good sign that people want to farm," he said. The recent farm bill, signed into law last month, also helps improve this situation, said agriculture professor Tim Richards, of Arizona State University. "They got rid of most direct subsidy payments for crops which is good," Richards said. "That makes it more of a market-based industry ." American farmers face ongoing fears like the long-term drought that's devastating much of the West, especially California. But the worries keep growing. They include possible labor shortages along with predictions of falling revenues after years of increases. Added to that, say analysts, are the low number of students in agriculture school coupled with the current average age for farming at a senior level of 58. "We are statistically in danger of losing our food supply the way we are going," said Advancing Eco Agriculture's Kempf. -By CNBC's Mark Koba. Follow him on Twitter @MarkKobaCNBC.
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American Small Farm Struggles to Survival~~Small American Farms Struggling to Survive Jeff Swicord March 26, 2014 BOYDS, MARYLAND - American consumers have begun to take a closer look at the food they eat, and are hungry for more knowledge about food. They want to know where their food comes from, what's in it, and what nutritional benefit it offers. It's a trend away from mass-produced, processed foods, in favor of food that is organic, sustainably-produced, green, and locally grown. The result has been a growth in small family farms that produce this kind of food. Wayne Cullen breeds show goats on his 24-hectare Cherry Glen farm in Boyds, Maryland, outside Washington D.C. For years he's had a steady supply of goat milk from his herd. So much, he didn't know what to do with it all. Then someone suggested he use the milk to make goat cheese. “Somebody mentioned to us that we could make bulk chevre pretty easily. And there was a strong market for it. And they said we could make about $1,000 a goat a year. And so that is what we decided to do," said Cullen. Thinking he could take advantage of strong demand for locally-produced food products, Cullen invested half a million dollars to build a cheese making plant. Eight years later he produces 68 kilograms of goat cheese a day in seven different varieties. Although award-winning Cherry Glen goat cheese is sold in more than 50 stores and restaurants around the Washington D.C. area, Cullen has yet to turn a profit. “There is a lot of competition. It is hard to educate the store, cheese buyers in the stores [people who buy cheese for the store] It is hard to educate the public," he said. Agricultural experts say Cullen is not alone. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there were 6.8 million farms in the U.S. in 1935. Today farmers are producing more than ever on about two million large mechanized farms. Sarah Hackney, with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, says food distribution markets are no longer set up to serve small family farmers. “Like a large production company, you know, it's easier for them to get distribution access." she said. "They can lock-in a sweatheart deal with a grocery chain at a really low price. And so one of the challenges is that, if you are a smaller grower, You don't have those advantages coming in ." Undeterred, Cullen is constantly looking for ways to cut costs and raise profits, and survive. When he built the cheese-making plant, his electric bill went from $500 a month to $3,500. So he installed this array of solar panels which now produces all the electricity for the farm. “For electricity with fossil fuels it is expensive. It is depleting the resources. It is digging up and destroying the land," said Cullen. He also has some ideas to sell more cheese. And grow into new markets. “I think to do that [sell more] we need to develop some additional varieties. And we have to have some strong marketing people," he said. An advocate for small family farming, his goal is to become profitable within the next few years. So one day, if they choose, his children and grandchildren can enjoy the pleasures of farming he has come to love.
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China's return of genetically modified corn threatens US agricultural exports~ ~ March 19, 2014 09:31 china's return of genetically modified corn threatens US agricultural exports HENRY I. MILLER in November, China abruptly announced that it would return American corn Viptera with genetically modified ingredients. Since then, China has rejected nearly 1 million tons of U.S. corn, leaving U.S. agriculture in disarray and jeopardizing future crop variety innovation. Viptera can bring super insect resistance to crops and reduce the damage of mycotoxins. The United States approved the cultivation of crops containing Viptera in 2010, and several other countries, including Canada, have subsequently approved the cultivation of crops containing the genetically modified ingredient. The European Union (European Union) and more than a dozen countries around the world approved the import of Viptera-containing crops in 2012. But China will only start the approval process for GM crops after they are allowed to grow in exporting countries. The fastest is two years later. For Viptera, the two-year lag time has been delayed to four years, and when it will be approved seems to be far away. China's decision to reject US GM corn has nothing to do with food safety. China only mentioned in its November notice that Viptera was not allowed to import, but earlier last year it also imported nearly 1 million tons of corn containing Viptera from the United States. China has also received Viptera-containing corn imports from Argentina. China does not reject genetic engineering. China grows a large number of genetically modified plants such as cotton, papaya, poplar, tomatoes and sweet peppers, more than any other country except the United States. So why is China rejecting crops containing Viptera? Some speculate that China is trying to buy time to "reverse engineer" the technology to copy and steal it. Others believe Beijing wants to use this as an excuse to renege on contracts signed last year when corn prices were higher. According to a report by Bloomberg (Bloomberg) earlier this month, Peng Yufa, chief scientist of the China Agricultural GMO Safety Committee, admitted that trade issues played a role in the Viptera approval process. Regardless of China's motives, the rejection of U.S. genetically modified corn has shaken U.S. agriculture. Two major U.S. grain trade groups, the North American Export Grain Association and the National Grain and Feed Association, have asked agribusiness Syngenta (Syngenta) to immediately stop selling Viptera corn and another genetically modified corn Duracade, which was allowed to be grown in the United States last year. It doesn't make any sense: Viptera the crop has been planted since 2011, it will take years to completely remove it from the supply chain. Worse, it would cause a pause in new planting techniques, essentially handing over the life and death of new planting techniques to China. Without the possibility of commercialization, no company would be willing to spend $0.1 billion to develop new varieties of genetic engineering and accept heavy supervision. If American farmers are not allowed to grow crops with stronger vitality, higher yield and more profitable value, the company will be at a disadvantage in competition with foreign competitors. Another incident also highlights the dangers faced by genetically modified agriculture in the United States. CGB, the grain processor, announced that it would not accept grain containing Duracade genes until China, Egypt and Turkey all had the green light. However, Turkey's biosafety agency is fraught with uncertainty, and agricultural biotech companies simply do not expect to be approved in the country. Egypt, on the other hand, is volatile, and the government has consistently lacked an operational regulatory system for import approvals. Another grain trader has Gavilon reached an agreement with Syngenta, promising to buy Duracade-containing grains from farmers and treat them specially to ensure that they only reach approved markets. Other traders, however, seem to prefer a holistic distribution model in which all grains are mixed together indiscriminatingly. Specialized distribution channels can only do so. Countries that want to import staple grains at commodity prices will eventually have to cooperate to make the approval process predictable and reasonable. As a huge and increasingly demanding food importer, China will have a pivotal position. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack (Tom Vilsack) raised the impasse over the Viptera during his visit to China in December last year, but to no avail. Now, the U.S. trade representative and the White House need to take this issue as a top priority and put maximum pressure on Beijing. Writing in the Des Moines Register, former Agriculture Secretary John Block said innovation must move forward. He also wrote that innovators cannot allow the bad behavior of one country to hinder the progress of the entire world. (Dr. HENRY I. MILLER is a physician and molecular biologist who is also a member of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, Stanford. He is also the founding director of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Office of Biotechnology.) (This article is copyrighted by Dow Jones & Company and may not be translated or reproduced without permission.)
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FAO warns Asia-Pacific countries must increase food production to meet future demand~~Asia and the Pacific must increase food production to meet future demand FAO issues warning as governments meet for Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific 10 March 2014, Ulaanbaatar - Governments in Asia and the Pacific should take some major, fundamental decisions - and soon - about ways to increase their food production and address undernourishment, FAO has warned. The warning comes as nearly 40 FAO member countries gathered in the Mongolian capital for the 32nd FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific to examine the state of food and agriculture in the region and a number of other important agriculture-related issues. While the Asia-Pacific region is making good progress in reducing undernutrition, it still has more hungry people than all the other regions of the world combined - more than 550 million. The Millennium Development Goal of reducing hunger by half by 2015 is on course to be met, and in Southeastern Asia has already been achieved. Timor-Leste has launched a national campaign to take forward the fight against hunger beyond 2015, inspired by the UN's global Zero Hunger Challenge (with a goal of 2025). However, the region as a whole needs to improve food production systems and delivery to consumers or face significant food security problems within the next generation. Indeed some developing countries in Asia and the Pacific will need to increase their food production by up to 77 percent to feed their people by 2050, when the world's population is expected to top nine billion. Asia and the Pacific accounts for more than 90 percent of world rice production and consumption. The region's food security and people's livelihoods are very much dependent on rice. As a response to a request by FAO member countries, FAO has produced a Regional Rice Strategy which is being discussed at the regional level for finalization. Farming, fishing and forestry practices need to be modernized and made more profitable, while countries in the region must take serious, coordinated steps to reduce food losses and food waste, which is as high as 30-50 percent regarding grains, fruits and vegetables. Accordingly, FAO launched the regional Save Food Asia-Pacific campaign in August 2013 with an aim to promote public awareness of the need to minimize food losses and food waste. Nutritional deficiencies a threat to health and economies While most people in this region are presently getting enough to eat, they are not eating the right foods. The result is a high rate of micro-nutrient deficiency - a lack of absorption of minerals and vitamins. It can be devastating in childhood, where the result can leave a young person stunted, unable to fully reach his or her physical and mental development. In some developing countries in the region the affliction rate is as high as 50 percent. Across the region there has been little progress in reducing vitamin A deficiency. Between 1990 and 2007, there was only a five percent improvement - from 37 percent to 32 percent - a very slow rate of decline. Meanwhile, in some countries rates of anemia can still be as high as 50 percent and iodine deficiency up to 30 percent. As the rate of obesity increases across Asia and the Pacific, other health problems are emerging such as cardiovascular disease, higher risk of stroke and diabetes. Treating these conditions, especially in an aging population, will place a great burden on public health care systems across the region. Between 1990 and 2010, the total disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost to overweight and obesity in Asia has more than doubled, while in Pacific Island countries it has quadrupled. These warnings and recommendations to member States for action are highlighted in an FAO State of Food and Agriculture report to the Regional Conference. Farming and fishing in Asia and rethinking markets for Pacific Island Countries In many parts of the region, coconuts are both an important cash crop and one of the most important foods in the daily diet of millions. Because of its economic importance, and because most coconut trees are aging, many 50-60 years old, there is a need to rehabilitate senile and unproductive palms in the coconut-growing countries in Asia and the Pacific. There is a strong business case to replant. Coconuts offer value-added products like virgin coconut oil (VCO), VCO-based soap and cosmetic products that can provide additional and more stable income for coconut farmers. Outside of traditional export commodities such as coffee, cocoa, round logs and copra, vertical integration into global value chains has not been well developed in Pacific Island Countries (PICs). The difficult economic geography of the PICs, combined with robust competition from lower-cost countries in Asia, suggests that PIC agriculture might be usefully re-oriented towards the domestic market in order to improve food and nutrition security. Increasing urbanization and a vibrant tourism sector is providing greater opportunities for PIC farmers in domestic markets. Aquaculture emerged as a significant source of fish and other aquatic animals in the mid-1980s, and it now provides at least half of the food fish consumed in the region. Given the fact that fish is healthier than many meats, further rapid growth of aquaculture presents significant opportunities for improving food and nutrition security for the poor, provided it is undertaken sustainably. There are growing concerns about the intensification of aquaculture, however, in terms of both its sustainability and its environmental impact and these must be addressed before intensification. Livestock production has been growing rapidly over the past 20 years, and FAO projects that global demand for animal source food (ASF) will increase by a further 76 percent from 2005/07 to 2050. But rapid growth of the livestock sector has led to many problems, including increased risks to human health from pathogens harboured by animals; environmental degradation, pollution and influx of high levels of drug residues into the environment; emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria because of the indiscriminate use of antibiotics; loss of biodiversity and genetic resources; and acceleration of climate change through livestock-associated emission of greenhouse gases. Family farming Family farming is essential for the sustainability of agricultural, forestry and fishery production systems. Such farms are the dominant mode of farm organization around the world, especially in Asia and the Pacific. In light of this importance, the General Assembly of the United Nations, at its 66th session, declared 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) and invited FAO to facilitate its implementation in cooperation with governments, the United Nations system and relevant non-governmental organizations. The overall objective of the IYFF is to promote and help guide a broad discussion at national, regional and global levels to increase awareness and understanding about the diverse contributions, challenges and support needed for family farms and smallholder farming in eradicating hunger and reducing rural poverty, leading to sustainable development of rural areas and sustainable production aimed at achieving food security. FAO organized a regional multi-stakeholder dialogue in November 2013 to kick-start a regional initiative to support the IYFF. A regional conference on Family Farming in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities is being organized in Chennai, India in August. Regional perspectives The FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific brings together ministers of agriculture and high-level officials of Member States across the region. Convening every two years, it examines the opportunities and challenges in the region and sets priority areas of work to improve food security and nutrition, increase agricultural productivity, raise the standard of living in rural populations and contribute to sustainable economic growth.
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Unrest in Ukraine threatens food suppliesThreat to Ukraine grain supplies Events in the Ukraine could have an impact on the worldwide supply of grain Published on 09 March 2014 Before recent events in Ukraine most people would have struggled to know much about the former Soviet state. The Crimean war there in the 19th century brought Florence Nightingale and the disastrous charge of the Light Brigade to certain death because of a misunderstood command. The country was one of the many to apparently happily exit years of communism and Russian control, but now it seems that not all in Ukraine want to turn West towards potential membership of the European Union. Ukraine is also the former Soviet state closest to being an agricultural superpower. It is famous for its fertile black soil, which made it the bread basket of Europe. In terms of the importance of its agricultural industry to the Ukrainian economy it is similar to Northern Ireland. Agriculture accounts for five per cent of its gross national product and a quarter of all exports. It is vital to help prop up an economy that was far from healthy, even before the present conflict with Russia began. However when it comes to scale it is vast in agricultural terms. Ukraine is in fact the third biggest exporter of grain in the world, with annual exports of between 60 and 80 million tonnes, depending on the harvest. So fertile are the soils that the Chinese government has leased thousands of acres of Ukrainian land to grow grain for import to China, to help tackle its food security problems. When Communism collapsed, developing Ukraine as a source of supply of grain was a massive boost for Europe, and when the harvest there was hit by drought European dependence was underlined by the grain price spike this produced. This week saw global grain markets reacting to events in Ukraine. Even in the US wheat futures saw their biggest one day jump for some time. This reflected nervous markets rather than reality. Most crops are in the ground, and the expectation is that by the time harvest comes around the situation will have resolved itself. However the dependence of Europe on Black Sea grain exports cannot be ignored, and the situation has been complicated by some of the major Ukrainian ports being in the area now controlled by Russia. Compelling as that case may look for normality returning by the time we get to the harvest, such optimism could be swept away by political disagreements. Just a few weeks ago no-one would have factored in Russia effectively annexing part of Ukraine, emphasising that many are unhappy with the focus the government in Kiev had towards Europe. This all adds an edge to comments by the outgoing English NFU president, Peter Kendal, when he criticised the greening element of the new CAP. Most farming leaders across Europe have been reluctant to criticise greening, seemingly seeing anything related to the environment as a no-go area for negative comments. However there is a lot of truth in his view that greening, and the three crop approach in particular, is the opposite to what Europe needs when generations of future farmers will live with a growing global demand for food outstripping supply. To Kendal greening was 'madness' and a policy that could only make European agriculture less competitive and less productive, when the rest of the world is trying to deliver more efficient agricultural industries. He summed up his views by saying that greening would take European agriculture in 'profoundly the wrong direction'. For good measure, he added that the policy was likely to be less beneficial for the environment than the UK countryside stewardship schemes of various types, which the European Commission has accepted were the best in Europe for uptake and environmental delivery. In his final comments as president of the NFU Peter Kendal also urged the UK government to make sure that whoever replaces Dacian Ciolos as farm commissioner next October is someone ready to put farmers first. This is certainly stinging criticism of Ciolos, and it is probably a triumph for hope over expectation that it is still possible to have an EU commissioner that fits that mould, since the definition of putting farmers first will vary between member states. However what is needed is a commissioner ready to take the issue of food security and a productive European agricultural industry seriously - and events in Ukraine and the threat to its grain supply should serve as a reminder of why that is important.
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Argentina and Brazil to develop bio-agricultural science and technology as one of the national prioritiesArgentina & Brazil have made farm biotech a national priority, Obama advisor says By Bloomberg News via Washington Post US consumer demand for organics rose to US$29B in 2012 from US$6.1B in 2000. In Oregon, seeds sow worries as GMO and organic crops try to coexist. SWEET HOME, Oregon - Growing organic cabbage, squash and other crops for their seeds in northwest Oregon gives Sarah Kleeger and Andrew Still plenty to worry about, from hungry insects to unexpected frosts. A man-made concern is fast rising on their list: the encroachment of bio-engineered crops, which they say threatens the genetic purity essential to the organic and heirloom fruits and vegetables they produce in the Willamette Valley, the top US seed-growing region. "We want to be nice to our neighbors and work together, but we can't take any chances," said Still, inspecting plants for damage after a frost on their farm near Sweet Home, about 80 miles south of Portland. Contamination from gene-altered plants could render worthless the seeds they grow for their catalog business, Adaptive Seeds. GMO accounts for 93% of US soy output Twenty years after the first commercial varieties of genetically modified foods went on sale, farmers have embraced biotech crops that now account for 90 percent of all US cotton and corn and 93 percent of soybeans. Paradoxically, this has boosted demand for organics by consumers seeking to avoid GMOs. Sales of such foods were US$29 billion in 2012, up from US$6.1 billion in 2000, according to the Organic Trade Association. While gene-altered and organic foods share space on grocery shelves, the juxtaposition on farms has led to fears of cross-contamination as pollen blows across fields. Those fears have spawned lawsuits, referendums and even acts of vandalism: in June, 6,500 bioengineered sugar-beet plants in a Syngenta field in Jackson County, on Oregon's southern border, were torn from the ground. The issue has become so contentious that the federal government has considered stepping in to referee. The US Department of Agriculture is seeking comment on how best to improve the coexistence of biotech and non-biotech farms. "The markets don't want any contamination with a genetic engineered plant," said Carol Mallory-Smith, a weed-science professor at Oregon State University in Corvallis. "It makes producers very concerned ." 'Not all farm products are equal' While unrelated plants may grow safely side-by-side, others, such as organic Swiss Chard and biotech sugar beets, can create contamination issues. "Not all crops are equal, even in gene flow and mixing," she said. Gene-mixing has been an issue with farmers for generations, as plant-pollen travelling by air from one field can mingle with plants from others. Combines, trucks and storage bins that haven't been properly cleaned also are risks, as one farm's products can be inadvertently transferred to another. The stakes of mixing are higher when gene-altered and organic products come into contact because of the purity demanded by non-biotech buyers - and with more products under development, including vegetables and fruits, intermingling is becoming a bigger worry, Mallory-Smith said. Organic growers have more to lose, because some consumers associate biotech genes with everything from uncertain food safety to corporate control of farming, she said. Scares that have occurred in Oregon have made it a flashpoint in the national debate over gene-altered crops. Wheat exports from the state to Japan were held up from May through July last year after a strain of unapproved genetically engineered wheat was found by a farmer in his field. Residents of Jackson County, where the sugar beets were destroyed, will vote in May on whether to ban the planting of all genetically modified crops in the county. State lawmakers last year passed a bill in response to that referendum and others to prohibit such initiatives elsewhere, though anti- biotech activists are trying to overturn that legislation. A likely statewide ballot initiative this fall will ask Oregon voters to require labels on gene-altered food products sold in the state. Similar initiatives have failed in neighboring Washington and California after costly campaigns. Anti-biotech efforts have slowed the industry's development in the United States and threatens to cede its global leadership in gene-altered plant research, said Cathy Enright, executive director of the Council for Biotechnology Information and a member of President Barack Obama's Agricultural Policy Committee during both of his election campaigns. Obama advisor warns about Argentina, Brazil Regulators end up preparing for legal challenges rather than making scientifically sound decisions, she said in an interview. "The time it takes them to make their decisions have increased, wherein our competitor countries, Brazil and Argentina, for example, both of those countries have made biotechnology a national priority," she said. Coexistence and cooperation among farmers in planting crops is nothing new, said Robert Fraley, the chief technology officer for St. Louis-based Monsanto Co., the world's biggest seed- seller. "I understand the concern and the theory of the concern," he added, yet "there simply haven't been issues that have developed ." The lack of gene-mixing after decades of side-by-side growing shows that keeping biotech and non-engineered crops in harmony "is a great success story," he said. In the Willamette Valley, that has meant keeping a thriving organics industry separate from also-booming growth in genetically modified beets, as well as corn and other crops on the horizon. While agribusinesses reassure consumers that bioengineered crops pose no threat to surrounding producers, organic advocates say farming practices that eschew biotech need to be kept a safe distance from altered genes. "The Willamette Valley is the test case. You have to be able to make coexistence work there because the market is so sensitive. It's mission-critical," said Laura Batcha, executive VP of the Organic Trade Association, a Brattleboro, Vermont-based trade group that includes WhiteWave Foods Co. among its members. The fertile Willamette region, bordered to the east by the Cascades Mountains, is known for its seeds, hazelnuts, hops and wine. Growers there have long needed to coordinate crops among themselves to ensure one crop isn't contaminated by another, said Barry Bushue, president of the Oregon Farm Bureau and vice president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, the biggest US farmer group. Valley farmers and seed companies have long followed a voluntary "pinning" system in which crops at risk of cross-pollination are isolated from one another, preserving their integrity, said Bushue, a pumpkin and berry grower from Boring, Oregon, outside the Willamette. New rules aren't necessary to do what farmers can figure out themselves, he said. "Farmers embrace all types of agriculture," he said. Having lawmakers "take first crack at what you can grow is frightening," said Bushue, who served with Batcha on a USDA task force on co-existence. 'Miserable coexistence' Frank Morton, a Willamette Valley organic and heirloom seed-seller, isn't so sure. Along with environmental groups, he helped persuade a federal judge in 2009 to rule that the USDA erred in approving gene-altered sugar beets for commercial use because it hadn't adequately studied the environmental impacts of the crops on other plants. Still, the courts allowed biotech planting to continue to avoid threatening the national sugar supply, much of which comes from biotech beets. "We're co-existing, but it's a miserable co-existence," Morton said, noting contamination is inevitable without tighter regulation. The uncertain legal environment also has made it harder for some farmers, said John Reerslev, who raises 1,100 acres of fescue and rye grass seed along with peppermint and biotech sugar-beet seed outside Junction City, Oregon. The 2009 court order cost him US$500,000 when his buyer slashed the acreage of gene-altered beets it wanted, he said. "When you have all these lawsuits and initiatives and ballots, yes, it's pretty unsettling," he said. Despite what opponents may wish, biotech is here to stay, he said. "I grow modified beets because that's why my buyers want ." For Kleeger and Still, the issue is about preserving value. "We are certainly not opposed to capitalism, but capitalism is a tool that can be used to benefit or hurt," he said. "Our goal is to have high-quality, open-pollinated seed that may not be found anywhere else," he said. "It may not be a million-dollar value, but if you lose it forever, that's a different kind of value that's hard to quantify ." http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/153993/argentina--brazil-have-made-farm-biotech-a-national-priority-obama-advisor-says
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Trade talks deadlock: US farmers blame Europe~ ~ February 24, 2014 8:10 pm US farmers attack Europe on trade talks impasse By James Politi in Washington The powerful US farm lobby is souring on trade talks with the European Union, charging that Brussels is unwilling to consider any relaxation of health-based curbs on American food imports and warning that it would fight the deal on Capitol Hill if it is shut out. In a visit to Washington last week, Karel De Gucht, EU trade commissioner, reiterated his steadfast opposition to allowing any beef treated with hormones into the European market, and ruled out changes to the EU's tough regime on the approval of genetically-modified organisms. His statements were slammed by US farm groups, who had hoped the trade talks launched last year would lead the EU to reconsider a series of bans, restrictions, and slow approvals on US agricultural products that have been among the most fractious matters in transatlantic trade over the past two decades. “These categorical statements that 'we're not changing this and we're not changing that and this is off the table' really makes us question whether the EU even wants to do a deal," says Steve Censky, chief executive of the American Soybean Association. “What we're telling US negotiators and the US Congress is that unless the EU is truly willing to negotiate, no deal is better than a half-baked deal that doesn't achieve market access," Mr Censky added. Agriculture was always expected to be a main sticking point in the talks to form a “Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership”, particularly since the goal is not just to reduce tariffs but also to reconcile the two different regulatory philosophies. The gap is especially wide on food safety, with the EU practising the “precautionary principle” - which has a much lower threshold for setting restrictions compared to the US, with its more lenient “risk assessment” model. Agricultural policy and methods remain the subject of intense debate within the EU and divisive issues among its member states. In May, new European Parliament elections are expected to produce a big swing in favour of populists, many of them anti-American and from rural constituencies. Those lawmakers will ultimately have to approve TTIP so their political hue is vital. The European Commission is expected soon to authorise the use of a new insect-resistant GM strain of corn/maize called Pioneer 1507. But that follows more than a decade of debate and six separate scientific studies. It also comes despite votes by 19 of the EU's 28 member states to block approval thanks to the bloc's weighted voting system. While the UK backed approval, France vehemently opposed it. US corn and soyabean producers complain that it can take more than 4 years to approve certain genetically modified approved crops, when it should only take 18 months - and they also question the EU's mandatory labelling of GMO products. “It is nothing less than a scare label for consumers," says Mr Censky. Nick Giordano, vice-president and counsel for international affairs at the US National Pork Producers Council, acknowledges that these are “emotional issues” in Europe, but said Mr De Gucht's comments were “troubling” and it was “preposterous” to question the safety of US food. “To suggest that we can't have some sort of mutual recognition or equivalence, why not? Europeans come here all the time and consume American food," Mr Giordano says. “If US agriculture opposes this deal, or basically say we're not supporting it, it's going to be pretty difficult for this to move forward," says Mr Giordano. Other farm lobbyists are relatively relaxed about Mr De Gucht's remarks, saying the talks are in their early stages. “There's going to have to be some movement," said one farm lobbyist who works on trade. “We went into this saying we've been stonewalled on some of these things for years and we want to see some change - otherwise why bother?" he added. In remarks to US farm lobbyists last week, Michael Froman, US trade representative, also rejected Mr De Gucht's opposition to allowing hormone-treated beef into the EU. “This is a comprehensive negotiation," he said. “We are going to have to work through this and come up with a balanced outcome ." One person on the EU side of the TTIP talks said the two parties might make more headway than expected on agriculture “if only because expectations are so low ." US farm lobbyists are also increasingly worried that they may not gain any benefits from separate trade talks with Pacific Rim nations, since Japan is resisting opening up some of its sensitive sectors. Additional reporting by Shawn Donnan in London and Christian Oliver in Brussels
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Ukraine's wheat and maize crops under threat of worsening droughtUkraine's wheat and maize crops under threat of worsening drought 2014-03-07 10:06 kiev, March 6: according to the report of the Martell crop forecast company of the meteorological agency, the prospect of winter wheat and corn production in central and eastern Ukraine is increasingly threatened by the intensification of local drought. It said parts of Ukraine had seen only 30 to 50 percent of normal rainfall over the past four months. Even if the rainfall is normal this spring, it will not make up for the lack of soil moisture. Ukraine is expected to become the world's third-largest corn importer and sixth-largest wheat exporter this year. Martell president Gail Martel said that the drought in central and eastern Ukraine is becoming more serious, and these areas are in urgent need of large-scale spring rains to alleviate the drought. Russia's dispatch of troops to Ukraine led to a surge in agricultural markets this week. Corn prices on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) surged to their highest level in 12 weeks on Wednesday. Black Sea ports and shipping activities are generally normal. Martel said that in the past three months, heavy rain has occurred in western Europe and most parts of Russia, but most parts of Ukraine are dry. There is also no indication that Ukraine will see beneficial rains this month. Ukrainian winter wheat crops are planted after mid-October, then enter the overwintering period and harvest begins in July of the following year. The planting of corn began at the end of April. (Source: Master Boyi
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Annual global corn yield data revised upAnnual global corn yield data revised up 2014-03-07 09:13 | source: China Grain Network | chicago, March 6: According to the latest report released by Informa Economic Company, a private analysis organization, the global corn production forecast for 2014/15 (July to June of the following year) was raised to 0.9583 billion tons, compared with the earlier forecast of 0.9553 billion tons and 0.9614 billion tons last year, because the harvest area was raised to 0.1741 billion hectares from the earlier forecast of 0.1736 billion hectares and 0.1761 billion hectares last year. Informa expect Ukraine's corn production in 2014/15 to be 23 million tons, up from an earlier forecast of 20 million tons and 30.9 million tons last year. The harvest area was 4.2 million hectares, compared with an earlier forecast of 3.7 million hectares and 4.8 million hectares the previous year. U.S. corn production data remained unchanged at 0.3552 billion tons, compared with 0.3537 billion tons the previous year. The area harvested was 34.7 million hectares, compared to 35.5 million hectares the previous year. The forecast data for Brazil's corn production in 2014/15 remained unchanged at 69.3 million tons, up from 65.5 million tons in the previous year. The harvest area was 1400 10,000 hectares, compared with 14.3 million hectares the previous year. The EU 28 66.4 million tons, compared with 64.7 million tons in the previous year, and the harvested area was 9.4 million hectares, compared with 9.8 million hectares in the previous year. Argentina 26.2 million tons, 22.6 million tons in the previous year. The harvest area was 3.4 million hectares, compared with 3.4 million hectares in the previous year. Mexico's corn production forecast for 2014/15 remains unchanged at 21.4 million tons, compared with 21.7 million tons in the previous year. The harvest area was 6.8 million hectares, compared with 6.8 million hectares in the previous year. China 0.218 billion tons, 0.2177 billion tons in the previous year. The area harvested was 36.6 million hectares, compared to 35.8 million hectares in the previous year. (Source: Game Master
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EU wheat production to hit third all-time high in 2014EU wheat production to hit third all-time high in 2014 2014-03-07 10:01 | media news on March 6: According to the first 2014 wheat production forecast report released by the European Commission, EU wheat production in 2014 is expected to hit the third highest level in history, because the sown area of wheat has increased and the sown area of barley has decreased. The European Commission expects EU wheat production to be 0.1445 billion tons this year, of which 8.67 million tons will be produced in durum. This figure is higher than the previous year's 0.1439 billion tons. However, it is consistent with the latest data of 0.1451 billion tons released by strategic grain companies. The International Grains Council expects the EU to produce 0.143 billion tons of wheat this year. That would be the highest level in six years, when it stood at 0.152 billion tonnes, the European Commission said. However, the European Commission predicts that the final EU wheat inventory in 2014/15 may only increase by 2.4 million tons to 11.8 million tons. From a historical point of view, this data is still low. Although exports may be reduced by about 3.7 million tons, to 23.3 million tons, it is still higher than the 10-year average of 17.7 million tons. According to the European Commission, wheat feed consumption is likely to increase by nearly 5 million tons in 2014, partly because wheat will replace barley and corn to some extent, and partly because of higher demand. The Commission said that the EU cow stock increased. According to the European Commission, wheat production forecasts are based on the premise that weather conditions are normal and help the wheat crop grow well. With the exception of Slovenia, most other regions did not experience extremely cold weather. However, the report cautioned that the risk of frost still exists because many wheat crops lack snow protection. In western regions such as Ireland and the UK, excessive rainfall may prompt farmers to replay or relay spring crops. Editor: Jiangwei (China Grain Network)