Farmer’s Weekly – 30 August 2019

World News WeeklyneWsWrap

US grain markets hit 42-year low

New regulations to protect

Kenya’s potato growers

In Brief

ABOVE:

Soya bean farmers

in the US are facing

increasing hardship

due to the US-China

trade war, among

other challenges.

fw archive

Soya bean has been one of the
hardest hit commodities in the
US-China trade war. In July, soya
bean futures contracts in the
US suffered a seventh straight
monthly loss as prices slumped
to the lowest level since 1977.
This decline on the Bloomberg
Grains Subindex Total Return
was attributed to US President
Donald Trump’s recent threats on
Twitter to escalate the trade war.
According to analysts, one
of the few positive prospects
for US agriculture had been
an anticipated end to the
crippling tariffs that China
had imposed on US soya,
maize and wheat exports.
According to a spokesperson
for the Chinese foreign ministry,
there were still plans for
officials to travel to the US for
the next round of trade talks,
but this could not be confirmed
amid reports that a delay was
now being considered.
In addition to large stockpiles,
the threat of African swine
fever was hanging over US
grain and soya markets,
while wet weather across the

US Midwest was impeding

planting. This meant that some

farmers could potentially plant

more soya bean, as it could

be sown later than maize.

The bad weather farmers

were experiencing was a double

blow, according to Scott Irwin,

an agricultural economist at the

University of Illinois at Urbana-

Champaign, in the US. Not only

were they unable to plant, he

said, but this left them “more

time to stew on the current

conditions”. – Staff reporter

According to the Kenyan
government, the recently
gazetted Crops (Irish Potato)
Regulations of 2019 were
intended to standardise the
country’s potato value chain
and protect local potato growers
against unscrupulous buyers
and other role players.
Potato farmers were now
required to pack their produce
in bags weighing a maximum
of 50kg each, instead of the
previously permitted 110kg
maximum, to allow for better
control over the grading, quality
and price negotiations with
packhouses and buyers.
Kenya’s media reported that
these new regulations had been

welcomed by the country’s potato

growers, especially by the more

vulnerable small-scale farmers.

All participants in Kenya’s

potato value chain now had to

register on a national database

that would be monitored

by government inspectors

to ensure compliance.

The selling and buying

of potatoes for commercial

purposes in Kenya would only

be permitted at collection centres

and designated markets overseen

by government officials. In

addition, all weighing scales

to be used would have to be

calibrated, serviced, inspected

and approved by the agriculture

department. – Staff reporter

AustrAliA

Australian Prime Minister

Scott Morrison has stepped

up efforts to convince the

governments of Pacific Islands

to abandon calls for tougher

climate change goals.

These low-lying islands were

on the frontline of rising sea

levels due to climate change,

and some residents had been

forced to move to higher

ground. Australia would

not agree to any demands

for tougher climate goals, as

Morrison was a firm supporter

ofthecountry’scoalindustry.

spAin

Biological insecticides currently

only represent 2% of all

insecticides used worldwide.

Scientists participating in

two international meetings on

pest control in Valencia, Spain,

said biological insecticides

had limitations because

“unfortunately they are more

specific, they can kill your pest

but not others”, but fortunately

they were more beneficial

for the environment. Pests

would never be completely

eliminated because “there

will always be a population

of the pest that will become

resistant to the insecticide,

whateverthetype”,theysaid.

united Kingdom

The UK’s cauliflower crop

has been severely affected

by the extreme temperatures

experienced during July,

resulting in a shortage.

The country was usually

self-sufficient in cauliflower,

which had become fashionable

in recent years. Record

temperatures of up to 38,7°C

killed of the Brassica plants,

which meant wholesale prices

increased sharply in some

cases, with many restaurants

taking cauliflower off their

menus. – Staff reporter

30 August 2019 farmer’sweekly 17