Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil’s grain ports will endeavour to move the last of a record soybean crop just as a huge corn harvest starts competing for terminal space, testing the country’s export capacity, an analyst at local consultancy Agroconsult said. Brazil is exporting much of a record 96 million-tonne soybean crop and, starting […] Read more
Brazil’s grain ports seen facing record volumes
El Nino seen bringing drought to Brazil’s north, heavy rains to south
Sao Paulo | Reuters –– Brazil will likely experience a moderate El Nino by the end of the year, bringing steady rain to the country’s main grain-producing regions and sustained drought in the arid north, the national meteorological institute, Inmet, said. Inmet meteorologist Fabricio Daniel dos Santos Silva said six consecutive quarters of warming sea […] Read more
Meatpacker JBS closes plant, lays off 650 workers in Brazil
Sao Paulo | Reuters — The world’s largest meatpacker JBS SA laid off 650 workers and closed a plant in Brazil’s Mato Grosso state due to the lack of cattle ready for slaughter, a state labour official and the company said on Wednesday. JBS CEO Wesley Batista said last week that the first three months […] Read more
China lifts three-year embargo on Brazil beef imports
Brasilia | Reuters — China has ended an embargo on Brazilian beef imports, Brazil’s agriculture ministry said on Tuesday, lifting a three-year old ban and opening the door to half a billion dollars of new sales. Eight Brazilian beef processing plants and one poultry plant were approved to ship to China, the ministry said in […] Read more
JBS CEO says Brazil close to exporting fresh beef to U.S.
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil is “closer than it had ever been” to exporting fresh beef to the U.S., the CEO of Brazilian meat packer JBS SA said Thursday, adding he expects shipments to start later this year. The Brazilian agriculture ministry expects a formal announcement on meat exports to the U.S. when President […] Read more
U.S. seen approving Brazil fresh beef imports
Sao Paulo | Reuters –– Brazil’s agriculture ministry said on Friday the U.S. is likely to approve imports of Brazilian fresh beef this year, after President Dilma Rousseff visits Washington in June. Brazil, the world’s top beef exporter, is already a steady exporter of cooked beef that appears in items such as canned corned beef […] Read more
Brazil farm belt roads blocked in new trucker strike
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Truckers in Brazil resumed roadblocks across the country’s main farm belt early on Thursday, after failing to reach common ground in talks with the government and freight companies in recent weeks regarding pay and fuel prices. Highway police on Thursday evening estimated that protesters had blocked roads at 17 points […] Read more
Brazil’s Rural Society contests limits on foreign land purchases
Sao Paulo | Reuters –– Brazil’s Rural Society, a group representing large- and medium-scale farmers, filed a case with the country’s Supreme Court on Thursday seeking to overturn restrictions on the amount of land foreigners can purchase. The attorney general’s office tightened restrictions on foreign land ownership in Brazil in 2010, an action that officials […] Read more
Brazil soy exports likely to slow after fire near Santos port
Sao Paulo | Reuters –– Brazil’s soy exports will likely slow because a six-day fire at a nearby fuel-storage facility has restricted access to Brazil’s largest port, Santos, a port official and the soy industry association Abiove said on Tuesday. Authorities have agreed to restrict truck access to some terminals at the port at least […] Read more
Brazilian beef exporters weigh WTO case against EU
Brasilia | Reuters — Brazilian meat exporters are considering taking the European Union to the World Trade Organization to challenge restrictions on their beef shipments to one of the world’s top markets, the head of the country’s beef exporters association told Reuters. A new dispute could further harm trade ties frayed by an EU case […] Read more