The UN food agency FAO will host emergency talks on the Horn of Africa drought crisis in Rome on Monday as aid groups scramble to raise money for an estimated 12 million people on the brink of starvation. UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has called on donor countries to come up with $1.6 billion (1.1 […]
Climate Change Threatens World Security: UN
21/07/2011 by
United Nations – Climate change is generating an “unholy brew” of extreme weather events that threaten global security, the UN chief said Wednesday as the Security Council recognized the issue’s potential effect on world peace. But the 15-member council apparently failed to agree on whether climate change itself was a direct threat to international peace […]
Future of fishing ‘at critical crossroads’
20/07/2011 by
Fisheries minister Richard Lochhead yesterday warned that Scotland’s fishing industry was at a “critical crossroads”, after a meeting with the European fisheries commissioner. Mr Lochhead held talks with Maria Damanaki to set out his concerns over plans to reform the controversial Common Fisheries Policy after attending a meeting
Nuclear fears weaken agriculture sector
19/07/2011 by
As no stranger to earthquakes and tsunamis, Japan has long mastered the art of overcoming natural disasters. Sophisticated engineering has spawned shock-resistant construction and meticulous preparedness manuals. Even an elementary school student knows what to do in a crisis. But, the latest jolt might not go away so easily. The tsunami that
Turkish wheat producer to expand abroad
19/07/2011 by
Turkey’s leading private wheat producer, Doruk Group, which ended last year with a total of 700 million Turkish Liras in turnover, targets to expand abroad and total $1 billion this year. The company aims to reap $5 billion in annual turnover by 2020, according to Hasip Gençer, board chairman of Doruk Group, which embodies 12 […]
Saudis Want Grain Venture
19/07/2011 by
Saudi Arabia has proposed forming a joint venture to export Russian grain, Saleh Al-Shoaibi, head of the Saudi Shura Council economic affairs and energy committee, said at a meeting with Federation Council Deputy Speaker Ilyas Umakhanov on Monday. The Saudi delegation also visited the Agriculture Ministry. The joint venture could build grain storage capacity in Saudi Arabia and sell grain to neighboring countries, Al-Shoaibi said. “It will […]
Potash Group’s ‘Cupboard Is Bare’ for India After China Pact, Mosaic Says
19/07/2011 by
Canpotex Ltd., the export arm of North America’s largest potash producers, has no spare supply to sell to India this quarter and won’t resume negotiations with Indian buyers until “late” in the period, said Mosaic Co. (MOS) Chief Executive Officer Jim Prokopanko. Canpotex’s “cupboard is bare,” Prokopanko said yesterday in a telephone interview from Mosaic […]
Wheat Jumps to One-Month High as Feed Use of Grain Fueled by Rally in Corn
19/07/2011 by
Wheat futures climbed to a one-month high on speculation that U.S. livestock producers will use more of the grain as an alternative feed ingredient, after the price of corn surged. Corn futures rose to a five-week high today after the government said U.S. crop conditions deteriorated last week while hot weather this week threatens to […]
The Doomsday Vault
19/07/2011 by
It is the ultimate fortress, deep inside a frozen mountain about 1,130 kilometers from the North Pole. The frozen mountains, the isolation and the polar bears provide extra layers of security. The world’s agricultural heritage is stored in perpetuity at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, dubbed the “Doomsday Vault”. Tucked away in this giant refrigerated […]
Are Monarch Butterflies Threatened by Genetically Modified Crops?
19/07/2011 by
Every year the monarch butterflies of North America go on a remarkable migration, from their summer homes in the rural United States to their wintering grounds in southern Mexico. Chip Taylor, an entomologist at Kansas University, has been tracking them through a project called Monarch Watch, distributing 200,000 tiny