When it was announced in 2023 that the African Union would become a full member of the G20, I darkly joked on a podcast that the AU’s entry into the body could very well mark the moment the G20 lost its status as one of the most important global coordination forums. Mark my words, I said, soon The Economist will be like “Uhhh, the G20 is OVER – it’s the ...
Category: Agriculture
China’s Tech Push Reshapes Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Fields, Bringing Big Gains and Bigger Risks
Claude Kaharo stands outside his traditional tobacco curing barn in Marondera, Mashonaland East, watching smoke billow from the thatched structure. Black scorch marks covering the circular hut are evidence of the countless wood-burning curing sessions he has managed over nearly a decade of farming. Now 56, the ...
China Bans All Thai Syrups and Premixed Sugar After Safety Failures
China’s Customs Authority GACC has expanded its suspension on Thai syrups and premixed sugar into a full import ban, effective for shipments from Oct. 27. The move follows July–September audits that found none of 10 Thai export-oriented factories compliant ...
Kenya Breaks Ground for World’s First Geothermal-Powered Fertilizer Plant in Partnership With China’s Kaishan Group
Kenyan President William Ruto led a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday for a new $800 million geothermal power facility that will produce 100,000 tons of green ammonia and fertilizer annually. The project, a joint venture between China's Kaishan Group and the state-owned ...
Chinese Demand Boosts Brazilian Coffee Exports and Challenges Small Producers
Since 2018, São Paulo–based businesswoman Carla Guindani has been eyeing the Chinese market. That year, she was invited by ApexBrasil, a Brazilian government agency dedicated to promoting exports, to exhibit family farming products at the Shanghai International Food Exhibition. At the time, Guindani was head of a ...
As China Buys From South America, U.S. Farmers Reel From Soybean Slump Amid Escalating Trade War
By Beiyi Seow The U.S. soybean harvest is underway and in rural Maryland, farmer Travis Hutchison cracks open a pod to show how a field is nearly dry enough for reaping. But a decent yield ...
Beijing Pushes Palm Oil, Rubber Supply Guarantees from Jakarta
China asked Indonesia to guarantee long-term supplies of crude palm oil (CPO), natural rubber, and edible bird’s nest during bilateral farm talks in Jakarta on Tuesday, Indonesia’s vice minister of agriculture, Sudaryono, said. “Indonesia is open to cooperation in this ...
Trump to Meet Argentina’s President Amid China Soybean Tensions
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with his Argentine counterpart, Javier Millei, in two weeks. The meeting comes as huge exports to China threaten an economic deal between the two right-wing governments. Argentina’s soybean exports to China rose to ...
Chinese Importers Buy Argentinian Soybeans Amid Global Trade Shift
Chinese agricultural traders booked at least ten orders of Argentinian soybeans following the Milei government announcement on Monday that it will suspend export taxes on key crops. The move comes as Argentina tries to boost its supply of dollars and ease pressure on the peso.
U.S. Soybean Farmers Anxiously Watch Brazil Sell More and More to China
Chinese soybean imports from Brazil rose by 2.4% in August compared to last year, according to customs data, a modest increase but one that nonetheless causes considerable consternation for U.S. farmers who have yet to sell a single bean to China this year.
China Says Extends Probe Into Beef Imports
China has extended a months-long investigation into whether beef imports had harmed the domestic industry, the commerce ministry said Wednesday. The price of beef in China has trended downwards in recent years, with analysts blaming oversupply and a lack of demand ...
[WEEK IN REVIEW] China Invests in Angola to Secure Food Supply Chains
Chinese construction giant Sinohydro signed a $100 million deal with Angola to build out the country's agricultural infrastructure in a bid to boost grain production. While 60% of the output from this venture will be shipped to China, the rest will ...
Mango Deal Sweetens Ties Between Bangladesh and China
Bangladesh waved off its first consignment of mangoes to China on Wednesday, a largely symbolic export as Beijing seeks to sweeten ties after relations soured between Dhaka and its former ally and neighbor, India. Bangladesh, still reeling from the political fallout ...