Market News

United Nations declares 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health

Plants make the oxygen we breathe and give us 80 percent of the food we eat. But plants are under attack by invasive pests. These pests destroy up to 40 percent of the world’s food crops and cause $220 billion in trade losses each year according…

Queen gives approval to Brexit, opens new Ag markets for U.S.

Queen Elizabeth II Last Thursday gave her formal approval to legislation pulling Britain out of the European Union, setting the stage for a potential U.S.-U.K. trade deal. "The withdrawal agreement has received royal assent and is now law,"…

Despite plans to ban glyphosate, its sales in France increase by 10%

Despite France’s campaign against glyphosate and a plan to ban it in a majority of agricultural practices by the end of 2020, the sale of the world’s most commonly used weedkiller in the country soared by 10% in 2018. Furthermore, the…

East Africa hit by most serious locust outbreak in 25 years

The most serious outbreak of desert locusts in 25 years is spreading across East Africa and posing an unprecedented threat to food security in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries, authorities say. Unusual climate conditions are…

Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture in India

Artificial intelligence in agriculture in India has immense potential. Farmers are unable to predict weather patterns or crop yields accurately, making it difficult for them to make informed financial and operational decisions. Since 2016, three…

U.S. winter wheat planted area is continuing to decline by 1%

U.S. winter wheat planted area is continuing to decline, but American producers still seeded more acres this past fall than expected. According to a USDA winter wheat seedings report released Friday, American producers put a total of 30.8…

US, China to sign phase one trade agreement

President Trump on Wednesday signed a partial trade deal with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, China. China will boost purchases of U.S. goods and services by $200 billion over two years in exchange for the rolling back of some tariffs under…

Nigeria gears up for two GMO crops in the 2020 planting season

Nigeria made significant progress in agricultural biotechnology in 2019, approving two genetically modified (GM) crops — pest-resistant Bt cotton and cowpea — that are very important to the country’s economic development and food value…

FAO: Against the world spread fall armyworm

The Fall Armyworm (FAW), or Spodoptera frugiperda, is an insect that is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. In the absence of natural control or good management, it can cause significant damage to crop. It prefers maize…