Tag: Wheat

Paraguay, Indonesia to record uptick in grain production in latest USDA projections

Editor

GLOBAL – Cereal production in Paraguay and Indonesia is expected to rise in the 2021-2022 market due to higher acreage and yield, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). In Paraguay, the USDA projects that a reduction in soybean and zafrinha corn production will free up more idle acres for wheat sowing resulting in an estimated 1.2 million tonnes being produced. The US agency further projects wheat exports for the 2021-2022 market year to increase to 500,000 tonnes, the highest in…

Read More

Attractive prices lure Brazilian farmers to corn cultivation, production expected to hit 105m tonnes

Editor

BRAZIL — Despite a smaller-than-expected first crop and delayed planting of second, Brazil corn produce is expected to reach a record 105 million tonnes in the 2020-21, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA in its report noted that corn production is expected to increase thanks to elevated domestic demand and record-setting prices which make the crop more attractive to Brazillian farmers. The Agency attributes boosted domestic corn prices to strong demand from the poultry and livestock sectors, the growing…

Read More

Nigeria wheat value chain players undertake initiative to bolster the sector

Editor

NIGERIA – Nigeria’s wheat value chain players and the government are rallying up support to boost the sector’s performance. According to reports by Nigeria News Agency, the Flour Milling Association of Nigeria (FMAN) has provided support to 800 farmers in Kano, Kebbi and Jigawa States to accelerate wheat cultivation. The farmers were provided with improved seeds variety, fertilisers, chemicals and 50 threshers under a soft loan scheme designed to enhance farmer access to inputs and extension services. Further to that, FMAN, in collaboration with Oxfam and agricultural research institutes, have…

Read More

Morocco lifts import duties on wheat to build up stock following low production

Editor

MOROCCO – The Government of Morocco has extended the suspension of import duties on common wheat and products until May 31, 2021 in a bid to keep the cost of imports at a competitive level and build stocks. The North African country is facing historically low wheat production due to low rainfall which has made the government turn to imports to ensure supply of the commodity. The country’s cereal production for the 2019-2020 season decreased by 39% compared to the previous season reaching 3.2 million tonnes, according to a report…

Read More

Tanzanian alcohol makers turn to local sources of raw materials to boost industry

Editor

TANZANIA – Leading breweries in Tanzania i.e., Tanzania Breweries Limited (TBL) and Serengeti Breweries Limited (SBL) to prioritize sourcing their wheat locally, following an agreement with the government. According to reports by Daily News, the state has reached a consensus with the brewers to purchase the raw material at a minimum price of Tsh 800 per kilogramme of wheat. This follows the country importing 800,000 and 1 million tons of wheat annually amid availability of arable land and conducive climate to facilitate mass production of the cash crop. “TBL and…

Read More

Zimbabwe to produce 200,000 tonnes of winter wheat nearly half of targeted amount

Editor

ZIMBABWE – The government of Zimbabwe set an average target of 5.2 tonnes per hectare for the 2020 winter wheat production totalling to 416, 000 tonnes nationally. Contract growers funded by commercial banks were expected to increase productivity to five tonnes per ha while private-sector-funded growers were expected to ramp up productivity to six tonnes per ha. However, according to reports by Zimbabwe Independent, as at the beginning of December the Grain Marketing Board had received wheat deliveries amounting to 190, 000 tonnes and is projecting the season’s total to…

Read More

Ethiopia builds wheat production capacity with adoption of new-improved varieties

Editor

ETHIOPIA – Ethiopia, the largest wheat producer in sub-Saharan Africa is inching closer to become self-sufficient in production of the crop, following the widespread adoption of new, improved and rust-resistant wheat varieties since 2014. This was revealed by International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) who undertook the first nationally representative large-scale wheat DNA fingerprinting study, in partnership with the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), the Ethiopian Central Statistical Agency (CSA) and Diversity Array Technologies (DArT). The study was undertaken in 4,000 plots which found that nearly half (47%)…

Read More

Thai rice prices are under downward pressure as supplies of MY2020/21 main-crop rice flood the market

Editor

THAILAND – The United States Development Agency (USDA) has maintained its Post’s forecast for MY2020/21 rice production in Thailand at 18.6 million metric tons, up 5 percent from MY2019/20. USDA attributed this growth to favourable weather conditions for main-crop rice production in Thailand’s non irrigated areas which accounts for approximately 75 percent of total main-crop rice acreage. The agency notes that the increased main-crop rice production in non-irrigated areas will likely more than offset the reduced rice production in irrigated areas where reservoirs are critically low. A bumper harvest would…

Read More

Canada wheat exports plummet 4% in TY 2019/20 despite increase in quality

Editor

CANADA – Canada’s wheat exports ended trade year (TY) 2019/20 down four percent below the previous year despite remarkable improvement in quality during the same period, a recent United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report has shown. USDA noted that despite the overall decline in Canadian wheat exports, demand for the grain has significantly risen since March. Exports for the months of April through August were up 33 percent over the three-year average riding on the back of less competition for rail service. Durum exports surge In TY 2019/20, USDA…

Read More

Pakistan to import 200,000 tons of wheat from Russia to control inflation

Editor

PAKISTAN – Pakistan plans to buy about 200,000 tons of wheat from Russia as part of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s bid to control inflation by increasing supplies of essential commodities. Islamabad will soon sign a memorandum of understanding with Moscow for the supply of the grain on a government-to-government basis, Pakistan’s wheat commissioner, Imtiaz Ali Gopang, said. He added that the shipments from Russia are likely to arrive by December after the federal cabinet approves the proposal. Russia’s agricultural agency said the country has already shipped 128,000 tons to Pakistan…

Read More