Iraq Archives | Alberta Farmer Express

CME February 2020 lean hogs with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hogs limit down on profit-taking, Middle East tensions

By Tom Polansek January 3, 2020

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures tumbled by the daily trading limit to a three-week low on Friday as rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East triggered profit-taking, analysts said. Losses hit markets after a U.S. air strike in Iraq killed Iran’s most prominent military commander, rattling traders of products from agricultural futures to […] Read more

Iraqi men carry a coffin of a demonstrator, who was killed during anti-government protests, to bury at the cemetery in Najaf, Iraq on Oct. 7, 2019. (Photo: Reuters/Alaa al-Marjani)

Crops, Reuters, Spring Wheat

Iraq replaces state grain agency’s chief

By Reuters October 8, 2019

Baghdad/Dubai | Reuters — Iraq, a major Middle East wheat and rice importer, has replaced the head of its state grain buying agency, government sources and a document showed on Tuesday. Naeem al-Maksousi was replaced by Hassanein Mahdi Elwan, a document reviewed by Reuters showed. The reason for the replacement, which comes after a week […] Read more

Crops, Reuters

G3 co-owner SALIC looking at Iraq farmland

By maha-el-dahan February 15, 2018

Dubai | Reuters –– The Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC) is looking at more farmland investment opportunities and has its neighbour Iraq on the list. SALIC, an arm of the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), said it was also looking to expand its investments in the Black Sea region, which already includes almost […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Reuters

U.S. grains: Wheat falls to contract lows on technical selling

By Karl Plume October 31, 2017

Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. wheat futures fell to contract lows on Tuesday as technical selling pressure dragged prices lower for a fifth straight session. Chart-based selling accelerated as prices slipped below the prior day’s two-month low, more than offsetting supportive news of a large export sale to Iraq and a government report showing the […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Reuters, Spring Wheat

Ex-Iraq grain board chief to be investigated in graft case

By Reuters February 15, 2016

CORRECTED, Feb. 20, 2016 — Baghdad | Reuters — Iraq’s acting trade minister has referred former grain board chief Saad al-Hamdani and 16 unnamed individuals for investigation over suspected transportation of illegal wheat shipments, a ministry statement said Monday. The grain board is responsible for purchasing billions of dollars worth of commodities internationally and from […] Read more

Crops, Livestock, Opinion

Schoepp: What’s a more important sector: oil or agriculture?

Take a comprehensive look at the facts and the answer is obvious

By Brenda Schoepp September 14, 2015

Reading Time: 4 minutes As we drove through the blueberry fields and cranberry bogs in southern B.C., I thought of economic generators. What, I wondered, was a bigger sustainable economic generator to our nation: oil or agriculture? An environmental scan of an industry must include the long-term effects on people and the planet. The structures that we employ for […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Reuters, Spring Wheat, Winter Wheat

Iraq recaptures some grain silos seized by Islamic State

By Jonathan Saul June 10, 2015

London | Reuters — Iraq has re-taken control of some grain silos previously seized by Islamic State, but most of the grain held cannot be used as militants aim to destroy sites when retreating, a senior grain official said Tuesday. Islamic State, the breakaway al Qaeda group, which declared an Islamic caliphate across parts of […] Read more

Crops, Reuters, Weather

Fighters target vital water facilities across Middle East

By Stephanie Nebehay March 25, 2015

Geneva | Reuters –– Fighters are increasingly targetting water and sanitation facilities across the Middle East, exacerbating severe shortages for agriculture and households, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Wednesday. Consumption of water in the volatile region with rising populations was already at unsustainable levels in many areas hit by record-low […] Read more

Crops, Markets, Reuters, Spring Wheat

Iraq buys 200,000 tonnes hard wheat from Canada, U.S., Australia

By Reuters December 29, 2014

Hamburg | Reuters — Iraq’s state grains board has purchased 200,000 tonnes of hard wheat to be sourced from Canada, the U.S. and Australia in an international tender for at least 50,000 tonnes, European traders said on Monday. The purchase comprised 100,000 tonnes of Canadian wheat, 50,000 tonnes of U.S. wheat and 50,000 tonnes of […] Read more

Cereals, Crops, Opinion

New wheat-marketing system isn’t just a mess — it’s a great big mess

With Canada’s wheat selling at a discount to Russia’s, it’s time  to admit the new open market isn’t working as it should

By John Morriss November 28, 2014

Reading Time: 3 minutes Critics of the Canadian Wheat Board used to routinely point to published price quotes for U.S. Dark Northern Spring (DNS) wheat from the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and assume that was a benchmark price for all wheat sold in the world. If the board got less, it must have screwed up, said the critics. In fact, […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat climbs on signs of drought damage in northern U.S. Plains

CBOT weekly outlook: More information needed for wheat, soybeans

Crop quality greater in western Manitoba

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