Sicily, home to livestock, olives and such Sicilian diets as wild fennel, has been battling drought effects for months. Though this has prompted Italy to declare a regional emergency, the region is still an agricultural center. First of all there are the region’s cattle riches which constitute 6% of Italy’s total cattle production in a good year.  A case in point was 1999...

American stocks fell by 6% between July 31 and August 5, 2024, triggering trade fears of a looming economic recession. This could therefore be a good time for farmers in the United States to contemplate how historical recessions have impacted their income. In the current scenario, Standard & Poor 500 (S&P 500) was the first to report the sudden 6% drop in...

Uptick tomato prices in Jordan have brought a temporary export ban to boost imports and make the vegetable affordable. On August 5, 2024, Petra news agency, courtesy of Ammon News quoted the Minister of Agriculture Khaled Hneifat calling for a phased export restriction. Hneifat hopes that the gradual ban on outbound shipments will encourage imports, which currently are down and undercutting domestic...

Chocolate could have more lead than previous estimates, according to a new scientific study at George Washington University.  The researchers found that almost 50% of dark chocolate and cocoa products could contain more lead than is safe.  While “safe” is a relative word when describing various scientific measures, it can mean much when it applies to popular edibles. 42% Above...

Of late, the Egypt potato market has been recording high demand amid low supplies, making the staple expensive.  A part of the demand owes to customer switch to potatoes as a cheaper alternative to inflated fruits, fish and meat.  Hatem El-Nagib, vice president of Vegetables and Fruits Division at the Egyptian Chambers of Commerce attributes the crisis to seed import issues and...

The annual Maine Lobster Festival ended August 4, 2024, after a five-day run that targeted serving 20,000 pounds of crustaceans. In the event, organizers served the shellfish in various ways from boiled to grilled and lobster rolls. They also prepared the crustacean with cheese and burgers that suited the tastes of diverse crowds. According to Shannon Kinney, the festival’s director, the event required...

Cocoa bean prices showed mixed performance on August 2, 2024 in London and New York futures markets due to diverse market factors. The International Coffee Exchange (ICE)’s prices in New York for September 2024 deliveries lost 0.56% day-on-day. This is even as similar ICE deliveries in London gained by 0.33%. The New York fall was the steepest from July through early August,...

Renewed governmental purchases could control declining wheat prices in China after rains prompted some growers to rush wheat to oversupplied markets.  According to Bloomberg News, the government is stockpiling wheat from farmers to reverse the market glut and rebound prices. Various farmers took their wheat from storage and into local markets over fears that moisture could ruin it.  For now, local prices...

South Africa is committing to a net zero carbon emission target by 2050. This at a critical time when fruit and vegetable distribution is producing about a third of all food transportation emissions worldwide. Coming to the rescue, however, through its marketing infrastructure is Tru-Cape, a leading pear and apple marketer. The company now seeks to impact drastic CO2 emission reduction both domestically...

The commercially important Choose Iowa program has expanded its food bank investment, underscoring that food security is real even in rich nations. For a start, the Iowa state Department of Agriculture on July 31, 2024 allocated $225,000 to food banks for healthy diet purchases.  Announcing this investment, state’s Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig added that “food insecurity is a real and pressing...