World

The European Commission’s latest short-term outlook for agricultural markets indicated that maize imports to the EU would increase 38,6% from 14,5 million tons in 2017/2018 to 20,1 million tons for the current season, with the majority of this maize coming from Ukraine.

India’s cotton imports are expected to increase by 80% this year. This followed the devastating drought that had hit many states in that country’s cotton production areas, which resulted in a supply shortage of quality material for textile mills.

German farmers have expressed concern that the high temperatures experienced so far this month could result in drought conditions similar to that of last year.

It is expected that record maize volumes will be realised in Brazil’s second crop-growing season, or the so-called safrinha, thereby increasing maize production for the 2018/2019 marketing year by 18% to 95 million tons.

A new needle-free injection system, which uses pneumatic technology and thereby reduces animal handling and stress during the administering of vaccinations to sheep and goats, has been tested in the US.

A new study has revealed how deforestation pressures have increased as a result of the geopolitical instability in the global soya market following the trade tensions between the US and China.

Contracts for the cultivation of marijuana in Germany has been awarded to two Canadian companies.

Unpredictable weather conditions and uncertainty surrounding Brexit have resulted in most of the main milk producing countries in the EU coming under pressure in terms of production in 2018. This was further exacerbated by fodder shortages and rising feed costs.

It is expected that between 150 million and 200 million pigs could be culled or die in the African swine fever (ASF) epidemic spreading through China, according to a report by Rabobank.

A longstanding dispute over EU subsidies that support Airbus and Boeing has led to the US government threatening to introduce punitive tariffs against EU imports amounting to US$11 billion (about R155 billion), including a long list of agricultural products.

Against the backdrop of widespread flooding in several US states, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey of the Democratic Party have tabled a new economic reform policy in the US Congress called the Green New Deal.

Agriculture lawmakers in the EU voted last week to push for new definitions for meat products in upcoming negotiations with the European Commission and EU government to reform the EU’s 59-billion- euro-a-year (about R937 billion) farm policy.