Grain prices in Western Equatoria State in South Sudan under the World Food Program (WFP)’s buying initiative have fallen to $300 a tonne. Farmers blame this state of events to middlemen who buy on behalf of WFP, thereby losing $100 a tonne. According to Anthony Ezekiel of Yambio Farmers and Business Cooperative on May 1, 2024, the current price fell from the original $400...

Pricey red meat and vegetable oils helped defeat price decreases in dairy and sugar to notch up the FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) in April 2024. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) reported on May 3, 2024 that FFPI inched up to 119.1 points or 0.3% between March and April. However, worldwide food prices were lower year-on-year than in April 2023 by 9.6 points...

Cattlemen in northern and southern Australia reduced prices of their beef herds by 10 Australian cents in the month of April amid rising supplies. However, steer prices rose appreciably in the first week of May amid huge presence of export buyers.  After belated rains delayed the cattle transportation season in April, experts expect an influx of cattle in yards in May. However,...

19 states in northern Nigeria have partnered with the Food and Agricultural organization (FAO) to recover millions of hectares of degraded farmland. This at a time when agriculture is helping Nigeria’s economy grow by 3%. The Kano State Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) stated April 29, 2024 that it would restore a million hectares in the state. According to Dr....

Reports from Busoga sub-region in eastern Uganda reveal that farmers are keeping awake nights to guard their cocoa beans amid record high prices.  Even though global prices have decreased to $7,871 a tonne on May 3, they are still 93.8% more than in January 2024.  Busoga districts including Mayuge, Kamuli and Jinja have become a hot topic recently after farm gate prices for...

World cocoa prices continued falling on May 1 despite a little gain on April 30, 2024, due to record low liquidity.  The price swing partly owes to chocolate makers holding back from buying cocoa beans at the current high prices. This is leading to low liquidity for speculators who are forced to resort to lower prices to lure back purchases. Reports from...

It is price respite for gourmets in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after India allowed back onion imports in March 2024. Limited onion shipments totaling 10,000 tonnes from India are currently taking place through the National Cooperative Exports Ltd (NCEL). For now, Emirati importers have been taking advantage of low at-origin prices and these could in turn favor customers back home. UAE’s...

Eight months after Russia exited the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI),  Black sea agricultural marine cargo volumes have matched pre-2022 levels. Over 1,300 ships conveyed around 25 million tonnes of agricultural goods between August 2023 and April 2024.   Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN, Serhiy Kyslytsia, stated on April 30, 2024 that this cargo estimate exceeds that of BSGI’s lifetime. The United...

A University of California (UC) study has found that U.S.’ reservoirs such as artificial dams hold 7.6 billion pounds of fish.  In other words, these underutilized dams have nearly as much fish as the total yearly commercial landings in the United States. In 2020, for instance, fishermen caught 8.4 billion pounds of fish in commercial fisheries such as the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. According to...

After a 90-day period of soaring prices, wheat futures finally dropped at Euronext trading platform in Paris on April 29, 2024.  Among contracts, wheat set for September delivery fell most, by 2.2%, to settle at EUR 230 ($246.12) per tonne. This was a major retreat given prices had peaked at a three-month high of EUR 235.75 ($252.23) on April 26. The major drive for...