Archive for 2015

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — FEFAC, FEDIOL and COCERAL on Feb. 5 urged the E.U. Commission to lift immediately the present “de-facto” moratorium on genetically-modified (GM) import authorizations for food, feed and technical uses to prevent further threats to the E.U. food security as well as to the economic sustainability of the food, feed and E.U. livestock sector.

Despite these increasing threats, the E.U. authorization system for GM import is on hold since November 2013 due to merely political considerations, the groups said. ...

UZWIL, SWITZERLAND — Bühler will host the “9th European PhD Workshop on Food Engineering and Technology” in Uzwil, Switzerland, in March 2015.

As part of a competition that Bühler helped to organize, PhD students from 16 European countries will present their research projects March 24-25 at the headquarters of the Bühler Group. Entries are still being accepted and the preliminary selection of candidates has begun.

“Bühler is proud to host this prestigious event. The workshop is an excellent platform to discuss the ...

PARANAGUA, BRAZIL — The Port of Paranaguá said this January it exported its highest volume since 1995 of soybeans, corn, wheat and sorghum meal, port officials said on Feb. 4.

Grain exports reached 984,100 tonnes, an increase of 0.13% from the 982,802 tonnes exported in 2014. In January 2013, the port exported 878,354 tonnes.

The corridor operated the entire month with only two berths due to the installation of two new ship loaders (shiploaders) – the system normally operates with three cots. ...

Like other crops facing the challenge of pests and diseases, maize, Africa’s second most consumed cereal after rice is no exemption. Farmers in eastern Uganda have been battling the notorious Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease, also known simply as MLND, which causes low yields to total crop failure.
In 2013, several districts in the east were hit by MLND. Bulambuli, as a case in point, suffered a 30 per cent yield loss. When farmers spotted a “strange” disease, it was immediately ...

India’s wheat exports are poised to fall this year as an increase in supplies from Australia, Russia and Europe has pulled down global prices and made shipments from India non-viable.This could put pressure on the government as it would be forced to procure more of the grain at the state-set price as India is expected to have another bumper harvest.

Trading companies from USbased Cargill to local major ITC aren’t signing contracts for the new crop to be harvested in April-May ...

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S. — Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) announced on Feb. 3 that it has reached an agreement to sell to Glencore plc a 50% stake in its export terminal in Barcarena, in the northern Brazilian state of Pará. The ADM-Glencore joint venture that will own and operate the facility following the transaction also plans to quadruple the terminal’s capacity from 1.5 million tonnes to 6 million tonnes.
“ADM is continuing to take actions to improve our returns on ...

WEST PERTH, AUSTRALIA — Western Australian growers have delivered the fourth largest harvest in history, with 13.52 million tonnes received, CBH said on Feb. 1.

The total is around 3 million tonnes more than CBH’s 10-year average.

CBH Group General Manager Operations David Capper said this year’s final harvest figure was higher than expected.

“Inclement weather throughout harvest made it very challenging for many growers and in some regions this contributed to a reduction in yields of about 15 percent. Despite this some ...

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S. — The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) hosted a half-day meeting on “Exporting Feed and Feed Ingredients to the U.S.” at the International Production & Processing Expo in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., Jan. 27-29. The conference provided attendees the opportunity to hear from key industry professionals discussing the complex process of exporting feed and feed ingredients to the U.S.

“How animal food is regulated in the U.S. can be complicated to those who are not used to our federal ...