Farmers protesting in Toulouse, France, on January 16, 2024, with tractors bearing placards that read ‘Macron still an effort, soon all farmers will be dead’. Photo by Alain Pitton/NurPhoto via Reuters

Explainer: Why are French farmers protesting?

Many farmers feeling pinched by costs, imports, environmental regulations and disregarded by French society

French farmers are blocking roads across the country to demand government action to address numerous grievances, as protests in the European Union's agricultural sector spread. Here are some of the issues that have prompted the growing protest movement and how the government could respond.

Market sources say Russian wheat is being regularly offered for sale well below reported floor levels.

Why are Russian export prices roiling the wheat market?

Dissecting the factors around Russia’s grain movement and its impact on global markets

Reading Time: 3 minutes Russian wheat offers at a recent import tender by Egypt were all made at the same price, highlighting what traders classify as behind-the-scenes intervention by Russia’s government that is sowing confusion about the world’s biggest wheat-exporting country. Here is a more detailed look at what is happening: Russian policy In March, sources told Reuters that […] Read more


Net sales fell to $25.8 billion from $30.3 billion, reflecting a decline in prices as well as a 4.7 per cent year-on-year decrease in volumes shipped.

Crop giant Louis Dreyfus posts lower profit on calmer markets

Like its rivals, the grains merchant has seen profits ease after last year’s surge

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters – Louis Dreyfus Company has reported that its first-half net profits and sales have fallen compared to a last year, when markets were boosted by upheaval from the war in Ukraine. One of the world’s largest crop merchants, its rivals include Archer-Daniels-Midland, Bunge and Cargill. The company reported a group net profit of US$568 […] Read more

Pasta manufacturing in Italy

High pasta prices set to boil over as Canada’s wheat withers

Drought in Prairie durum-growing region is adding to existing global supply woes

Reading Time: 3 minutes Pasta lovers must brace to pay higher prices for their favourite dish, as drought in Canada and bad weather in Europe damages durum wheat crops and reduces supplies available to flour millers and food companies. Italy’s government called a crisis meeting in May as prices for the staple food jumped by more than double the […] Read more


The malting floor at Anglia Maltings’ Crisp Malt facility in the U.K. (Photo: CNW Group/Richardson International Ltd.)

Richardson buys into European malt market

Winnipeg agrifood firm buys U.K.-based Anglia Maltings

Paris | Reuters — Canada’s biggest grain merchant Richardson International is entering the malt sector through the acquisition of U.K.-based Anglia Maltings Holdings (AMH), targeting rising demand for the beer and whisky ingredient, Richardson said on Friday without disclosing financial terms. Anglia Maltings operates seven malt facilities in the U.K., Poland, and Germany, with combined […] Read more

A wall in the medina (ancient city quarter) of Rabat, Morocco’s capital. (Cia.gov)

Morocco adjusts wheat import scheme in nod to Black Sea

Move could bump up competition among exporters

Rabat/Paris | Reuters — Morocco, a major cereal importer, has modified its wheat import subsidy scheme to make it easier for companies to bring in cargoes from the Black Sea region, an official at state grain agency ONICL said on Wednesday. The revision, also reported by traders, means that as of March importers are able […] Read more


Flags in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels. (Inakiantonana/E+/Getty Images)

EU cuts estimate of drought-hit maize crop, raises import outlook

Commission cuts soft wheat exports, raises imports

Paris | Reuters — The European Commission on Friday cut its estimate of this year’s drought-hit maize harvest in the European Union to a new 15-year low while again raising its projection for this season’s maize imports. European maize (corn) crops endured severe drought and several heatwaves during the crucial summer growth period. The Commission […] Read more

A Ukrainian service member is seen atop of an armoured personal carrier in Kyiv on Feb. 25, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko)

Grain exporters tap EU supplies as war shuts Ukraine ports

Hamburg/Paris | Reuters — Grain exporters are looking for alternative sources of wheat and corn as a Russian invasion cuts off Ukrainian supplies, with European Union producers Romania and France being used to cover some nearby loadings, traders said Friday. The conflict has rattled grain markets, with European wheat futures surging to a record high […] Read more