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
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
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
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
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
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
China’s appetite for feed barley sucks in new crop from Canada, France
Tariff on Australian barley favours other suppliers
Paris | Reuters — China’s buying spree of French and Canadian barley is spilling into the 2021-22 crop with large forward purchases, due to its major feed grain needs and a prohibitive tariff on Australian barley, traders and analysts said. China has been sweeping up huge volumes of foreign crops to help feed a pig […] Read more
InVivo in talks to acquire French agribusiness Soufflet
Firms see limited overlap outside grain trading
Paris | Reuters — Co-operative group InVivo has entered exclusive talks to acquire family-controlled Soufflet in a deal that would create one of Europe’s biggest agricultural businesses with 10 billion euros (C$15.5 billion) in sales, the French firms said on Wednesday. The potential consolidation comes as France, the European Union’s largest agricultural producer, is trying […] Read more
Barley trade routes redrawn as China tariff hits Australian farmers
China's barley purchases from Canada more than double last year's
Sydney/Paris | Reuters — Out in Australia’s grain fields, farmers have started harvesting one of their biggest-ever barley crops, after drought-relieving rains convinced many to plant to the edges of their paddocks. Yet the tractors are working under the cloud of a new tariff imposed by China — seen widely as retaliation for Australia’s push […] Read more
Louis Dreyfus to gain first outside investor
Abu Dhabi's ADQ fund to acquire indirect 45 per cent stake
Paris | Reuters — Louis Dreyfus Co. (LDC) has agreed to sell a 45 per cent stake to Abu Dhabi’s ADQ, the companies said on Wednesday, the first outside investment in the family-owned commodity merchant’s 169-year-old history. The deal comes after a search by chairwoman Margarita Louis-Dreyfus for an investor to relieve debt built up […] Read more
Louis Dreyfus expects tough year on trade war, swine fever
Paris | Reuters — Agricultural commodity giant Louis Dreyfus warned on Monday that international trade tensions and a swine disease epidemic would continue to weigh on its activities in the rest of the year after pushing down first-half profit. The interim results reversed a rebound in group profits in the second half of last year […] Read more
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