Reading Time: 3 minutes Middle East conflict is freezing Canadian pulse sales as shippers impose hefty surcharges and reroute cargo, cutting off access to a $769 million market.
Pulse sales to Mideast markets ‘frozen’
War-related shipping surcharges and port closures shut down trade to region that bought 801,000 tonnes of Canadian pulses in 2025
Gulf fertilizer plants go dark as Iran war chokes global supply ahead of spring planting
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Strait of Hormuz closure halts Gulf fertilizer production, sending urea prices surging as global spring planting season begins.
Top agriculture market-moving news stories of 2024
Grain and oilseed markets had their ups and downs in 2024, with wars, labour unrest, trade disputes and politics often providing more direction than the traditional supply/demand fundamentals.
More grain ships diverted from Red Sea due to Houthi attacks
Air strikes, naval forces not enough to end attacks on ships, trader says
More ships carrying grain were diverted from the Suez Canal to sailings around the Cape of Good Hope this week as concern about attacks on vessels in the Red Sea continued, shipping analysts said on Friday.
CBOT weekly outlook: Downturn continues for grains
Early harvest reports from South America could affect prices
March grain futures at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) were in decline during the week ended Jan. 31 despite receiving a boost on Jan. 30.
Putin ally warns agriculture supplies could be limited to ‘friends’
Reuters — One of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s allies warned on Friday that Russia, a major global wheat exporter, could limit supplies of agriculture products to “friendly” countries only, amid Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine crisis. Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 to 2012 and is now deputy secretary of […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Lentil prices decline, may shift in spring
MarketsFarm — Prices for Canadian lentils, along with other pulses in the country, have slightly declined since the start of 2022. However, one pulse buyer thinks the next few months can recharge the market. Lionel Ector, president of Diefenbaker Spice and Pulse at Elbow, Sask., explained that a good Australian lentil harvest in December has […] 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
U.S. grains: Futures weaken as Iraq strike rattles markets
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures crumbled on Friday as traders booked profits after being spooked by a U.S. air strike in Iraq that escalated geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The strike that killed Iran’s most prominent military commander put markets on edge and opened the door for a setback a […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: India market likely pushing up prices
MarketsFarm — Faced with weather concerns surrounding its pigeon pea crop, India has been very likely buying lentils from Canada, said MarketsFarm analyst Mike Jubinville. Over the last month, prices for large green lentils have jumped 25 per cent because of issues with pigeon peas, said Jubinville. Green lentils can be substituted for the pigeon […] Read more