BEACON

An apple industry head from the US said Washington apples had great future in the Asian markets including Iraq, Iran, India, and even China as they were tastier and of higher quality than the ones which were presently available in these markets. Although China produces 50 percent of the global apple basket and made available [...]

According to the recent National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) sessions, China is expected to consider serious changes in its exim policy while re-balancing its economy. Though exports will continue to remain the focal point of economic growth yet it is understood to remove some import restrictions aimed at increasing [...]

Protectionism versus safety took the centre stage of debate between the Rudd administration and the domestic beef industry along with the main opposition while the Australian government declared the removal of ban on beef importation on Monday. Prior to the announcement, the Coalition senators and about 1000 beef producers gathered in Armidale to protest against [...]

A Vietnamese trade representative to Taipei rebutted the allegations of dried day lily from China being routed through his country to bypass Taiwanese restrictions on Chinese agricultural products. His reaction came after the Taiwanese opposition, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) accused that dried day lilies arriving at Taiwan markets from Vietnam were from China as [...]

According to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the GCC is the biggest importer of food in the world by buying more than 90 percent of its total needs. The GCC’s very high reliance on external food sources virtually pushes 36mn people of the region at the mercy of global price fluctuations.
The food imports have considerably [...]

According to RIA Novosti, the President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev has approved a plan to boost domestic food production and reduce the country’s dependence on imports. Russia plans to enhance its food production through a new food policy which is expected to produce up to 95 percent of domestic grain needs followed by 80 percent [...]

Based on the last month’s report on El Nino by the US Climate Prediction Center, the global rice production as well as other food products will be drastically impacted by the ongoing climatic phenomenon. El Nino, characterized by a warming of the equatorial Pacific, brings increased rain to the South American region and drought or [...]

The trade ministers of an alliance of Latin American Countries (ALBA) will meet today to discuss the operational launch of a regional electronic currency. In last April, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the leftist leaders of the region agreed to minimize the US dollar dependence by launching a Latin American currency styled in line with [...]

In the wake of repeated requests from International Confederation of European Beet Growers (CIBE) and other sugar agencies of Europe to export surplus sugar, the EU as a ‘matter of urgency’ is planning to seek legal means to breach the WTO ceiling on sugar exports. A month ago, it was estimated by CIBE that the [...]