Author: Timothy Wahome (Timothy Wahome)

Cyprus bets on sustainable agriculture with €109.3 million kitty 
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Cyprus bets on sustainable agriculture with €109.3 million kitty 

The government of Cyprus on October 10, 2024 promulgated a broad 5-year economical and sustainability strategy for agriculture. A part of the 2024-28 plan will be the financing 11 niches with a budget of €109.3 million ($119.48 million). According to Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou courtesy the Cyprus Mail, technology access, economic growth and sustainability are the key goals....

Citrus in Florida was sunshiny before Hurricane Milton struck
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Citrus in Florida was sunshiny before Hurricane Milton struck

A fortnight after storm Helene spared groves of citrus in Florida and buoyed fall harvest expectations, Hurricane Milton has swept away the hopes. Just before Milton, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had forecast positive oranges production at 15 million boxes, albeit 16% below 2023’s. Although Milton simmered down to Level 3 from previous level 5...

Iranian wheat
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Wheat on the rebound as markets brace for dryness

Thanks to expectations of dryness, wheat prices rallied by 1.2% early morning October 10, 2024 at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). At half past midnight October 10, the key contract in Chicago brought in $6.06 a bushel, the highest since October 3’s $6.03. The posting was however lower than October 2’s high of $615.25 a bushel. The...

The Thai mangosteen turns a world beater in export returns
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The Thai mangosteen turns a world beater in export returns

With a multi-billion baht turnover between January and August 2024, the Thai mangosteen has cemented its number 1 world status in export revenue. The eight-month export value hit 15.4 billion baht ($457.9 million), with the promise to crack the annual average of 17 billion baht ($505.6 million) by year-end. According to Thailand’s Commerce Ministry, the sale volume reached nearly 247,275 tonnes,...

Giant clam “endangered species” listing impacts Giam’s sinahi culture
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Giant clam “endangered species” listing impacts Giam’s sinahi culture

Guam’s sea shell culture is on the line following a U.S. agency’s proposal to include giant clam in the “Endangered Species Act.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been contemplating the move since 2016. Such a legislation could affect the heritage of the south Pacific Mariana islands that pride in strong seashell traditions.  Aptly...

South African Pink Lady apples rule the marketplace
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South African Pink Lady apples rule the marketplace

The universal Pink Lady brand is quickly turning uniquely South African with yearly sales to the UK up 13%, Tru-Cape Marketing reports. As the largest Southern Hemisphere supplier of the premium apple, South Africa also affords late season availability through cool-region irrigation. This comes in the wake of the phenomenal success of the equally universally...

EQUII revolutionizes “healthy snacking by offering a paradigm shift” via protein
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EQUII revolutionizes “healthy snacking by offering a paradigm shift” via protein

EQUII, a company that changed the flour industry in 2023 with the world’s first complete flour and Bread products, has partnered with the honorary French baked goods maker, Bridor. The deal will see Bridor feature EQUII’s amino acid-rich flour in a wide array of baked goods from dinner rolls to artisan loaves. This agreement follows the August 7,...

Soy, corn and wheat begin price ease after a lengthy rally
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Soy, corn and wheat begin price ease after a lengthy rally

Originally published September 27, 2024. Soy, corn and wheat have eased their resilient upward price run since July 25, 2024 on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) futures. Soybean pricing slipped from September 25 due to both the ongoing American harvest and favorable weather in South America.   Corn’s fall owes to supply increment courtesy the ongoing...

New potato planting season in Egypt to reduce consumer prices
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New potato planting season in Egypt to reduce consumer prices

First published September 27, 2024. Egypt’s new potato planting season could cut prices by 50%, after summer’s retail rates edged to E£35 ($0.72) per kilo. At the height of the price surge in July 2024, analysts had briefed Ahram Online that rates would halve by December. The planting season for the 3- to 4-month tuber had already begun...

Basmati rice from India
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Basmati rice export price cap removal by India benefits nations

First published September 27, 2024. India’s expulsion of the minimum export price (MEP) mandate on basmati rice will benefit importers in mainly West Asia, Europe and North America. In September 2024, the global rice exporter ended the $950 per tonne MEP after the 2024 monsoon improved production.  Increasing world demand has been telling on the country’s export...