Washington | Reuters — Senior Canadian, U.S. and Mexican officials trying to rescue slow-moving talks to update the NAFTA trade pact met on Monday in a new bid to resolve key issues before regional elections complicate the process. With time fast running out to strike some kind of deal on the North American Free Trade […] Read more
NAFTA talks resume amid fears of ‘zombie’ deal
China customs expanding checks on U.S. fruit imports
Beijing/Chicago | Reuters –– China’s major ports of entry have ramped up checks on fresh fruit imports from the U.S., five Chinese industry sources said, which could delay shipments from U.S. growers already dealing with higher tariffs as Sino-U.S. trade ties worsen. Fruits were among 128 U.S. goods that China slapped with more expensive import […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Limited upside seen for U.S. soybeans
CNS Canada — It’s a fluid set of circumstances for the U.S. soybean market these days as U.S. negotiators head to China in a bid to get proposed tariffs lowered on U.S. imports — but the potential for any major rally appears limited. “I would say the beans have a more limited upside than the […] Read more
U.S. ethanol makers snap up cheap sorghum after China tariffs
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. ethanol makers have joined global livestock producers to snap up discounted American sorghum supplies after buyers in China backed out of deals due to stiff anti-dumping tariffs on the grain imposed by Beijing in a mounting trade dispute. Sorghum is used to feed animals and represents a fraction of the […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola awaits acreage report
CNS Canada — This week’s acreage estimates from Statistics Canada could bring an end to canola’s recent chart surge upward — or could give futures the impetus to move even higher. The dominant July contract closed Wednesday at $535 per tonne, a gain of $8 from the previous Wednesday’s close. Prairie farmers on Friday will […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Prairie lentils look for spark
CNS Canada — It’s not exactly a banner time for the lentil market. Prices have been steady to slightly lower over the past month as lacklustre interest and Indian tariffs on peas and chickpeas have largely dissuaded farmers from planting pulses in general. “I think the impact and extension of the impact of the Indian […] Read more
Supreme Court finds for provinces in ‘Free the beer’ case
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s top court on Thursday ruled against a New Brunswick man who had argued he had the constitutional right to buy beer more cheaply in a neighbouring province, saying that the law does not impose absolute free trade across the country. Dubbed the “free the beer” case in Canadian media, it […] Read more
NAFTA officials set for Washington meeting to push for progress
Ottawa | Reuters — The top U.S., Canadian and Mexican officials driving NAFTA renegotiations will meet in Washington on Thursday, a Canadian government source said on Tuesday, as pressure for a quick deal mounted. Although the United States is eager to quickly wrap up negotiations to update the US$1.2 trillion North American Free Trade Agreement, […] Read more
Argentina exports biodiesel to Canada after U.S. imposes tariffs
Buenos Aires | Reuters — Argentine biodiesel producer Ecofuel exported 29,000 tonnes of biodiesel to Canada in March and plans to make a new shipment of the same volume to the country this month, an advisor to biofuels industry group Carbio said Friday. The deal, which marks Argentina’s first biodiesel exports to Canada, comes after […] Read more
U.S. to export pork to Argentina after 26 years
Washington/Chicago | Reuters — U.S. pork exporters will soon be free to ship meat to Argentina for the first time in 26 years after the two countries thrashed out an agreement to overturn an Argentinian import ban. The deal is a sliver of good news for U.S. farmers facing trade tariffs and disruption to exports […] Read more
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